Bujumbura : Kamenge University Hospital overwhelmed by the influx of patients

The suppression of free care for children under five and pregnant women in certain health facilities has placed unprecedented pressure on public hospitals, particularly the Kamenge University Hospital (CHUK), which is struggling to cope with the influx of patients.
INFO SOS Médias Burundi
Since the suspension of free care at the Hope Adventist Hospital, located in the Ngagara zone of Ntahangwa district (north of Bujumbura), surrounding hospitals have been severely affected.
The CHUK maternity ward is now overwhelmed, forcing some patients to sleep on the floor due to a lack of available beds.
Precarious hospitalization conditions
Women who have given birth vaginally must wait long hours, even days, in the maternity ward corridors before being able to leave the hospital due to a lack of available rooms. Patients who have undergone a cesarean section are even more affected : some remain for up to three days in the recovery room or on a stretcher due to a lack of space in the in-patient unit.
« It is very difficult, if not impossible, to properly feed a newborn in these conditions. The mothers are uncomfortable, and the nursing staff can do nothing, » confides a hospital source. With the recovery rooms constantly full, the corridors are flooded with patients waiting for a place, even making it difficult to move around.
Beyond the lack of space, other problems exacerbate the situation : a shortage of medical equipment and computer connectivity difficulties, which complicate the management of many patients’ files.
Medical staff under pressure
Faced with this situation, the maternity staff is at their wit’s end. One team is responsible for caring for pregnant women scheduled for cesarean sections, while another handles vaginal deliveries. But overstaffing is putting healthcare providers in difficulty : some days, mothers have to give birth unassisted, putting their lives and those of their children in danger.
« We’re overwhelmed. Sometimes patients give birth alone, without medical assistance, due to a lack of available staff, » laments a nurse.
In addition to the patients who usually come to give birth at the hospital, the CHUK receives many complicated cases from the interior of the country. The facility is one of the few hospitals in Bujumbura (the commercial capital) where free care for pregnant women and children under five is still in effect, further exacerbating the congestion.
Patients left waiting
The lack of rooms doesn’t just affect the maternity ward. Other departments, such as surgery, are also affected. Patients wait several days before being treated, without success.
« It’s a deplorable situation. Seeing a woman who has just given birth sleeping on the floor is unacceptable, » said a patient. Some, anticipating the shortage of beds, even bring their own mats.
Faced with this crisis, patients are calling on the authorities to find an urgent solution. A better distribution of resources and accelerated support for public hospitals could help alleviate these growing difficulties.
——-
Patients sleep on the floor in a corridor of the Roi Khaled Hospital, March 2025 (SOS Médias Burundi)