Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital (MRRH) in Uganda has implemented new guidelines to limit the number of caregivers allowed per patient and enforce designated visiting hours. The hospital management aims to ease congestion and improve patient care. Overcrowding in wards poses challenges to healthcare delivery, infection prevention, and the safety of patients and medical personnel. Hospital spokesperson Halson Kagure confirmed the directive, citing limited physical space and uncontrolled numbers of caregivers and visitors as contributing factors to congestion.
The new guidelines specify that general wards will allow a maximum of one caregiver for a stable patient and two caregivers for a critically ill patient. In the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and Accident and Emergency Department, only one caregiver will be permitted per patient. However, caregivers may be required to temporarily leave these areas to allow medical teams sufficient space to carry out procedures. Access to the resuscitation room has been completely restricted for caregivers, with hospital management emphasizing that the area must remain accessible to medical personnel attending to critically ill patients.
The hospital management has raised concerns over incidents in which caregivers reportedly resist instructions from hospital staff to leave patient bedsides or clear space needed for treatment. To ensure effective implementation, the hospital has introduced daily patient engagement meetings and displayed instructional notices across different wards. The measures are intended to help area managers, ward in-charges, and security personnel enforce the guidelines.
In addition to limiting caregivers, the hospital has announced strict visiting hours, allowing visitors to access patients during only three designated periods each day. The approved visiting hours are 6:00am to 7:00am, 1:00pm to 2:00pm, and 6:00pm to 7:00pm. Ward in-charges and health workers on duty have been directed to ensure that visitors observe the designated time windows.
Hospital management has urged patients and their families to cooperate with the new arrangements, saying compliance will help create a more conducive environment for healthcare workers to perform their duties while ensuring that patients receive appropriate attention. The hospital is working to minimize risks through improved infection prevention measures and better management of patient care areas.
Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital is one of the major public health facilities serving southwestern Uganda and neighboring areas, catering to an estimated catchment population of more than 11 million people. The hospital is struggling with limited space as it awaits a government-promised project to construct multi-storey buildings in phases. Dr. Deus Twesigye, the Acting Senior Executive Consultant and Senior Consultant General Surgeon, previously explained that overcrowded wards interfere with the work of doctors and other health professionals while increasing the risk of cross-contamination and hospital-acquired infections.
The new restrictions are expected to help manage congestion, improve infection control, and provide medical teams with the space needed to deliver services safely and efficiently. The hospital has appealed to patients, caregivers, and visitors to comply with the new measures, which are intended to ensure that the hospital maintains appropriate standards of safety, hygiene, and patient care.
Key points
- Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital limits caregivers and enforces visiting hours to ease congestion.
- The hospital struggles with limited space, serving a catchment population of over 11 million people.
- The new guidelines aim to improve patient care, infection control, and healthcare delivery.
