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7 succumb to Covid-19 as Budaka local leaders reject govt masks
Some of the Budaka LCI chairpersons and VHTs pictured during a meeting in which they rejected the face masks supplied by government as part of its efforts to contain the spread of Covid-19 in the country. PHOTO/ MUDANGHA KOLYANGHA
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The LCI chairpersons and Village Health Teams (VHTs) in Budaka Town Council, Budaka District shocked district leaders when they rejected government face masks on grounds that they were insufficient.
The LCI chairpersons and Village Health Teams (VHTs) in Budaka Town Council, Budaka District shocked district leaders when they rejected government face masks arguing that they were insufficient.
Authorities said Budaka District had received a consignment of 200,734 face masks which were supposed to be distributed to residents across the 20 sub-counties as part of the government efforts to contain the spread of Covid-19 pandemic which has so far infected 31,384 Ugandans and left 238 dead, according to the latest Ministry of Health figures.
Mr Patrick Kabazi, the LCI chairperson of Nakibulu village who also doubles as the leader of LCI chairpersons in Budaka Town Council, said the face masks delivered were insufficient given the large number of anticipated beneficiaries in a given village.
“As village chairpersons and VHTs, we have decided to reject the face masks on grounds that the masks supplied for distribution are inadequate. We cannot risk distributing the masks to few residents because it will cause a rift between us (leaders) and the communities,” Mr Kabazi said.
The irate LCs vowed not to distribute the masks unless the concerned authorities address their issues.
“How can you direct us to give only four face masks to each family yet some of the families have up to 10 and more members? I think the government policy was that everyone gets a mask. We cannot distribute these masks until the government sends more,” Mr Kabazi said, attracting a thunderous applause from his colleagues.
Ms Hellen Aruto, the district VHT coordinator said they had faced the same challenge (insufficiency) during the distribution of insecticide treated mosquito nets.
“Most of the community members in our villages did not receive treated mosquito nets during the massive distribution because they were insufficient. It was hard to convince them that the mosquito nets supplied were not enough. Some residents even accused the VHTs and LCs of discrimination. So we don’t want to repeat the same mistake,” she said.
Budaka Town Clerk, Mr David Tabitya’s attempts to convince the irate officers to take the said few face masks and distribute them before they go back for more fell on deaf ears.
The Chief Administrative Officer (CAO), Mr Elly Piwang, however, condemned the conduct of the officers and said that their concerns were based on wrong assumptions.
Budaka is one of the districts with many virus cases.
“People shouldn’t take it for a ride because the disease is real. They should observe the guidelines laid down by the ministry of health” Mr Piwang said.
He made the remarks hours before the ministry of health said they had registered 197 new Covid-19 infections as confirmed cases on Monday rose to 31,384.
The ministry officials also reported seven more virus deaths in 24 hours as fatalities rose to 238.
In May this year, President Museveni directed that all Ugandans aged six years and above be given a free reusable face mask to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Government consequently committed Shs81 billion and directed that implementation of the exercise be within the framework of Buy Uganda Build Uganda (BUBU).
However, several districts are yet to receive the facemasks as community infections continue to spread as evidence by the Ministry of Health daily reports.
