Written By | Joshua Nahamya
Mbarara Regional Referral main gate
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MBARARA CITY
Management of Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital (MRRH) has issued new guidelines restricting visitor and caregiver access to clinical wards in a move aimed at easing congestion, reducing hospital-acquired infections and improving patient care.
Hospital spokesperson Halson Kagure, who also serves on the facility’s Quality Improvement and Infection Control Committees, said the guidelines were necessary because unregulated numbers of caregivers were worsening congestion in the hospital, which already faces limited physical space.
“The new rules are not intended to inconvenience families, but are necessary to meet recommended healthcare standards for safety, infection prevention and patient care,” Kagure said.
“While the facility grapples with limited physical space, unregulated crowds of caretakers contribute to the congestion. In general wards, the hospital now limits access to a maximum of one caretaker for a stable patient and two caretakers for a critically ill patient.”
Under the new guidelines, notices have been displayed across clinical departments outlining the permitted number of caregivers.
In specialised units, including the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and Accident and Emergency Department, only one caregiver is allowed. Attendants are also required to temporarily leave when medical teams are carrying out clinical procedures.
One of the signage boards pinned at the gate entry point detailing patient visitation schedule to reduce congestion at the main hospital facility
Caregivers are strictly prohibited from entering the resuscitation room. Hospital management has also raised concern over incidents in which large groups resist security personnel and health workers when asked to leave areas around patients’ beds.
To support enforcement, the hospital has introduced daily patient engagement meetings and displayed notices across wards to guide ward in-charges, area managers and security officers.
The facility is also enforcing designated visiting hours, with access restricted to three daily windows: 6:00am to 7:00am, 1:00pm to 2:00pm, and 6:00pm to 7:00pm.
Dr Deus Twesigye, Acting Senior Executive Consultant and Senior Consultant General Surgeon, said the hospital’s limited space continued to pose challenges as it awaited a government project to construct multi-storey ward blocks in phases.
“Overcrowding in the wards severely interrupts doctors on duty and increases the risk of cross-contamination and hospital-acquired infections,” Twesigye said.
“These are critical issues the administration is actively fighting to minimise while awaiting the promised government project to construct multi-storey buildings in a phased manner.”
Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital is one of the largest public referral facilities in southwestern Uganda. It serves an estimated catchment population of more than 11 million people across the Great Lakes region, including approximately 6.5 million people in the Ankole sub-region.
