Mubende Hospital limits patients to one attendant, bans hawkers

What the report says

Mubende Regional Referral Hospital has introduced new access controls aimed at easing congestion and improving order at the facility, according to Nile Post. The measures limit each patient to one attendant, ban hawkers from the premises, restrict boda boda riders from parking inside the hospital, and tighten visitor entry procedures.

Hospital director Dr. Emmanuel Paul Batiibwe said the policy was prompted by the growing number of caretakers accompanying patients and by disorder linked to informal vendors inside the hospital. He said hawkers had contributed to confusion in the wards and littering, while too many attendants were making it harder for medical staff to work efficiently.

The hospital has also set up a siren to warn visitors 10 minutes before the end of each of its three visiting sessions. In addition, only one main entrance will remain open, and visitors will be required to present a National ID or other identification at the entrance in exchange for a visitor card or tag.

Senior Hospital Administrator Onesimus Kibaya said the management and board agreed on the changes after complaints from hospital users. Nile Post reported that reactions among visitors were mixed, with some welcoming the orderliness and others suggesting exceptions in special circumstances. More broadly, such access restrictions are a common hospital management tool when facilities face crowding, though the article did not say whether the rules are temporary or permanent.