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Govt to distribute 4,600 beds to hospitals countrywide
The commissioner of health infrastructure, Mr George Otim (in black coat), demonstrates how the Intensive Care Unit beds are fabricated at the Fabrication Systems in Banda, Kampala, on July 5, 2021. PHOTO | RACHEL MABALA
What you need to know:
- Mr Dakshesh Shah, the plant manager of Fabrications System, said the Health ministry gave them the contract in April.
The Ministry of Health is set to distribute 4,600 beds to all referral and general hospitals by the end of this month.
While inspecting the progress of the works at Fabrications Systems, one of the companies contracted to make the beds in Kampala yesterday, Mr George Otim, the Mulago Hospital commissioner of health services and infrastructure, told journalists that the ministry aimed at effectively treating Covid-19 patients.
“When Covid-19 broke out in Uganda, we quickly counted the number of beds in the country and came out with about 14,000, but according to World Health Organisation, the country is supposed to have 47,000 beds,” Mr Otim said.
“ The President instructed the Ministry of Health to quickly procure 42,000 beds. It took us a month to get 1,000 beds from China, and our patients had already started sleeping on the floor. So we decided to fabricate our own beds,” he added.
Mr Otim said the ministry identified companies that can quickly fabricate beds locally such as Fabrication Systems in Banda, Kampala, which is making 2,000 beds, and Otamani Agency Limited in Namanve, Mukono District, which will produce 2,600 beds.
“We were supposed to distribute 510 beds in the first phase to regional referral and general hospitals but because of the urgency, we had to buy already made beds, leaving a balance of 46,000 beds to be made locally. “We are now working under the BUBU (Buy Uganda Build Uganda) policy by using our own raw materials and employing our own people. This creates a big difference in our income generation activities,” he said. Mr Otim also said unlike the beds from China, the locally made ones are designed to carry 600 kilogrammes.
“The beds we bought from China carry only 176 kilogrammes.
“We are also embarking on the design to make intensive care unit (ICU) beds locally. Last year, we procured 143 beds for ICU and these were installed in regional hospitals, but we have the programme of procuring 54 more. Twenty will go to Mulago Hospital and 35 will be distributed to regional referrals. Our target is to make sure that every referral hospital has 10 ICU beds for Covid management,” he said.
Mr Otim said the recent cost for importing an ICU bed is Shs210 million but they are considering Shs8m per bed, according to the design plan.
Mr Dakshesh Shah, the plant manager of Fabrications System, said the Health ministry gave them the contract in April.
“So far, we have delivered 100 beds, but we promise to deliver all of them by end of July. We have all the materials and manpower, we are just remaining with fixing process and painting the beds,” he said.
