The disease had affected half of the country by August with 65 districts reporting increased hospital admissions and at the outpatients’ department of their medical facilities. At the time, the number of malaria cases had increased by over 400,000 from 1million cases recorded by June last year.
The government received a grant worth 1.2 billion Shillings from the Korea Foundation for International Healthcare-KOFIH in June this year, to put in place an improved medical emergency system between Bukomansimbi district and the Masaka Regional Referral Hospital.
According to the District Veterinary Officer, Dr Godfrey Kahuta, the movement and slaughtering of pigs in the district has been banned for the next three months to contain the viral disease.
Luweero District Health Officer Doctor Innocent Nkonwa is optimistic that the elevation of the facility and its actual operationalization will help to improve service delivery. Nkonwa adds that currently, the health facility needs to streamline the roles of the available staff to meet the staffing norms of a hospital.
Daniel Babikwa, the Director District Support Coordination and Public Education at the National Environment Management Authority-NEMA, has partly blamed the problem to the authorities in the local government over their failure to strictly enforce the set-out regulations on public health.
The construction that started in August last year stalled at the foundation level putting much of the already bought materials to waste. Materials including bricks have been stolen and the sand is being washed away by rain.
The volunteers are tasked with introducing culture of savings among rural women, mentoring Ugandan teachers and health workers and introducing American ways of life to the people.
