The Executive Director of Butabika Hospital Juliet Nakku has asked the Parliament’s Health Committee to avail Shs 2.5 billion for the completion of a 2.5 Kilometers perimeter wall fence at the hospital aimed at reducing the frequency of patients escaping from the facility.
Nakku made these remarks on January 8, 2024, while appearing before the Parliamentary Health Committee to defend the 2024/2025 national budget, where she also requested to have the food budget increased from 2.439 billion to Shs 4.7billion.
According to Nakku, the wall is still half complete and as a result, many patients escape through the incomplete area.
She added that this is a big problem not only to the patients and the community but also to the institution which ends up spending so much on fuel to pick them up from various roads after they escape.
Nakku informed the Committee that, patients are fed at an average of Ugx 6,187 per patient per day inclusive of breakfast, lunch and supper, yet the ideal cost of feeding should be Ugx 15,000 per day for the three meals, while defending the food budget increment.
“We are requesting for an increase in the food Budget from Ugx 2.439 billion to Ugx 4.7 billion to cater for the 313000 patients fed daily,” said Nakku.
She also noted that, on average the in patient number stands at 1200, daily in admissions against 550 beds, and these patients are fed three times a day, which means improvising within the available resources.
“There is need to increase on this budget since food is part of treatment and the hospital takes full charge of the feeding of the patients,” Nakku added.
The majority of national mental health funding is invested in the national mental health hospital at Butabika. It was established in 1955 and has 550 beds, although there is frequent overcrowding. Its annual budget is US$2.25 million and it has approximately 430 staff. There is no data regarding the average length of stay or diagnostic mix.
