Butabika Mental Hospital needs funds to deal with drug stock outs.

By; Ben Musanje

12^th Oct. 2020

Ministry of Health has noted the urgent need for more funding of mental health services to purchase drugs for patients on admission.

Dr. Hasfa Nkwata, the Commissioner In charge of Mental Health in the Ministry of Health says that they recently registered mental health drug stock out that prompted some patients to return to drugs they had been removed from in accordance to the doctors prescription.

Government allocates One billion shillings annually, which experts say it is too little for the department given the available needs.

Dr. Hilaly Giremaso from the Psychiatric Association of Uganda says there is a need to invest in human resource if mental health services are to reach out to more people.

He further notes it out that currently the country has only 46 Psychiatrists attending to millions of mental health patients.

At least 1,500 patients have been registers and treated at Butabika Mental National Referral Hospital since this year started to date.

Dr. Juliet Nakku, the hospital Executive Director says that this is the highest number received at the facility because they have been receiving 500 patients on admission annually. Dr. Nakku attributes the high number of admission to various factors including COVID-19 pandemic.