The
phase II construction works of a maternity ward and theatre at Ober HCIII has resumed
after stalling for almost a year.
In
2020, Ministry of Health confirmed the upgrade of Ober HCIII to an HCIV status
and recommended for the construction of a new maternity ward and theater.
Subsequently, the Ministry released 300 million Shillings to finance the
project.
But
in 2021, the construction works which was being undertaken by BP Enterprises
and construction company limited stalled at foundation level.
Freddy
Owiny, the Lira City Acting engineer explains that works could not move on as planned because
the money was exhausted.
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in: “This project is…
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out: … district Local Government.”//
He
also partly blamed the delays on the changes made on the construction design
from a normal to storied building by the ministry of health.
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However,
the Ministry has now released another shillings 349m for phase II of the
project which will include constructing the beams, columns, stairs and the first
floor (solid concrete). This will be done in four months and in correlation with the new construction
design that has been handed over to the contractor.
The
city authorities tasked the contractor to ensure that the work being done is
of good quality and it will stand the taste of time.
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in: “For us as Lira City…
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In
his response, Dr. Willy Okullo, the managing director BP Enterprises assured
the leaders that quality work will be done within the specific time.
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Whereas
Sam Atul, the mayor Lira City tasked the community surrounding the facility to
consider providing more land for expanding saying very soon the facility will
be elevated to a district hospital yet it does not have enough land.
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Hilary
Okello, the in charge of the facility is optimistic that when the construction
work is complete, many mothers will be served and referrals to the Regional Referral
Hospital will be reduced.
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in: “We have been…
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Early
this month, Health Minister Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng, also the woman MP for Lira
City queried
the slow progress of the work after paying an impromptu visit to the site only
to discover that work has not gone beyond foundation level. The disappointed
Minister wondered why work had stalled and yet the City had all the resources
needed to execute the work.
Currently,
Ober HCIII serves between 80 to 100 clients on a daily basis. It conducts
between 60 to 100 deliveries in a month.
