By Dr Nsubuga John Bosco
Over the past 40 years, our hospital has held a special place in the country’s healthcare system. We serve as a national referral hospital, providing specialized care for a wide range of medical conditions. Many institutions, both public and private refer their patients to us when they require advanced medical attention that cannot be provided elsewhere.
In addition to offering clinical services, our hospital is also deeply involved in training and research. We work closely with doctors, healthcare professionals, universities, and various institutions. We regularly collaborate with universities to train medical students, and we also host students from different institutions for clinical practice.
As part of our mission, we continuously assess the hospital’s capacity to support both service delivery and training. We aim to ensure that before students are transferred to practical placements, we have the facilities and resources to accommodate and support them effectively.
This dual role as both a healthcare provider and a training institution is central to our identity. It is a responsibility we take seriously, investing considerable effort to ensure that the services we offer, including curative, rehabilitative, and preventive care, are of the highest standard.
Our hospital remains committed to delivering specialized medical care and serving as a key center for training and collaboration within the health sector. Anyone with medical needs, whether physical or psychological can access care through our institution.
We are currently engaged in a campaign to enhance our services and promote our strengths, particularly in financial sustainability. This effort reflects our commitment to continuous improvement and meeting the needs of the people we serve. Many who come to our facility often find comfort in the environment and the level of care we provide.
Among the special services we offer is the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), where we care for very young and vulnerable newborns. This is a critical area of our work, and while we acknowledge the resource challenges we face, we continue to provide specialized care with dedication. We have a team of skilled specialists, including doctors like Dr. Peter, who are deeply committed to delivering the best care.
Some of our patients require constant support, including oxygen therapy, and we have invested in equipping some of our facilities with the necessary resources. In the past, access to such care was limited, but we have made great strides in improving the situation.
Our facility also supports other healthcare centers by receiving and analyzing samples. For instance, we accept diagnostic samples from smaller clinics and conduct laboratory tests to help in patient diagnosis and treatment. This collaborative support plays a vital role in strengthening the broader healthcare network.
In addition, we participate in international quality assurance processes. Just recently, we were visited by assessors from a South African accreditation body to verify whether we continue to meet the standards required for international recognition. These rigorous evaluations are essential to maintaining our accreditation.
Achieving and maintaining accreditation confirms that our services meet internationally accepted standards. It ensures that by the time a patient’s sample is processed and results are returned, the entire process has followed strict quality control protocols, giving confidence in the accuracy and reliability of our services.
In addition to our general services, we offer several specialized services, one of which is the Cardiotocography (CTG) service. This is an important tool used to monitor the fetal heartbeat and the mother’s contractions during pregnancy. Although it may seem like a small service, it plays a critical role in ensuring the safety and well-being of both mother and child.
If you are in a remote area and require such services, we are working to ensure these are more accessible through our hospital network. At the hospital, we are now implementing a patient records system that allows us to keep track of your information digitally.
What this means is that once you are registered in our system, your medical history and previous requests remain available. If you return for another visit, we already have your information on file, which allows us to provide more efficient and personalized care.
This continuity of care improves service quality and ensures better health outcomes. Each patient is assigned a unique identification number, which they should keep safely. When you return, this number allows us to quickly access your records.
Additionally, we are in the process of integrating our systems into a larger health information platform. This system helps manage patient care more effectively and supports better coordination among healthcare professionals.
We also understand that patients may come at different times, some during the day and others on weekends. For this reason, we have a team working around the clock, including during weekends, to ensure no one is left unattended.
Overall, we are constantly working to improve our services and patient experience. These efforts are part of our broader goal to enhance healthcare delivery and ensure every patient receives timely, high-quality care.
We also have a special unit dedicated to caring for babies and children who are experiencing developmental or neurological conditions, including those related to environmental factors or birth complications. These conditions vary in type and severity, and when identified, they must be properly assessed and managed to prevent further damage.
Some of these children require long-term care, and for that reason, we have set up facilities to support their needs. Currently, we are expanding our capacity to manage such cases more effectively, and we are already providing these services as part of our core functions.
It’s important to note that our goal is not only to treat these conditions but also to help these children survive and thrive. We recognized that, rather than referring them elsewhere, we could create a dedicated space within our hospital to care for them properly.
This decision reflects our commitment to providing comprehensive, specialized services for all patients, especially the most vulnerable.
The writer is the Director, Entebbe General Referral Hospital, Grade B
