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Four Soroti Hospital staff remanded over theft of oxygen plant equipment
A prison warder escorts the four accused staff of Soroti Regional Referral Hospital to court in Soroti City on July 20, 2023. PHOTO/SUZAN NANJALA
What you need to know:
- The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has demanded retrieval of the said appliances.
Four Soroti Regional Referral Hospital staff have been remanded to Soroti government prison over theft of appliances meant for servicing the health facility’s oxygen plant.
The suspects who appeared before the grade one magistrate for Soroti magisterial circuit on charges of theft include engineering assistants Alex Akatusasira and Patrick Edosu as well as the oxygen plant operator Denis Okiror and Pius Emong, the plumber.
Edmond Okiror Okwii, the grade one magistrate remanded the suspects to prison until July 27, 2023 when they will be produced back by the prison authorities for mention.
The decision to arraign the suspects follows a July 11 letter from the ministry of health- directing that the hospital administration take punitive action against the staff behind the theft of oxygen appliances as UNICEF threatened to withdraw its support towards maintenance of the oxygen facility. UNICEF demands retrieval of the said appliances.
Dr Denis Olaro, director clinical services at the ministry of health, said “filling of oxygen cylinders in the hospital is now taking long hours because of the theft of the appliances.”
According to Dr Olaro, the items that have since gone missing are hard degraded copper pipes and multiple filling station kits which were donated by UNICEF.
“It will now take about 12 hours as opposed to the standard 4hours for the cylinders to be filled,” Olaro explained to Monitor following the July 20 court sitting.
Dr Ben Watmon, the hospital director, told this publication that action was taken against the suspected staff.
“I have appealed to UNICEF to reconsider their position and allow the contracted service provider to service the oxygen plant as the court process continues,” the hospital director said.
Mr Watmon said there is no way the servicing of the plant can be currently executed.
