By: Our News Reporter

A severe staffing shortage has left Yumbe Regional Referral Hospital unable to operationalise key specialist services, including the intensive care unit (ICU), CT scanner and blood bank, despite the availability of some specialised medical equipment.

The hospital attained regional referral status in 2021 after being upgraded from a general hospital serving Yumbe District. However, management says the shortage of health workers continues to hamper efforts to expand and fully operationalise critical services.

According to hospital management, Yumbe Regional Referral Hospital has 1,011 vacant positions out of an approved staffing establishment of 1,246, leaving the facility with only 235 staff, equivalent to about 19 percent of its required workforce.

Hospital Director Dr Patrick Odong and his management team disclosed the staffing gaps while appearing before the Parliamentary Public Accounts Committee (PAC) Central to respond to issues raised in the Auditor General’s Financial Year 2024/25 audit.

The hospital serves an estimated catchment population of more than two million people across Yumbe, Koboko, Moyo, Obongi and Adjumani districts, in addition to a large refugee population in Bidi Bidi Settlement.

Hospital administrators have urged the government to prioritise recruitment of health workers to fill the vacant positions and enable the facility to provide the specialist services expected of a regional referral hospital.

The staffing crisis raises concerns about the hospital’s capacity to meet the growing demand for specialised healthcare services in the wider West Nile region.