Parliament directs police to investigate Gulu hospital director over ICU equipment

The parliamentary committee on government assurance and implementation led by their chairperson, Dr Abed Bwanika on June 26 directed the police to investigate Gulu Regional Referral Hospital Director and the storekeeper over the misuse of the Intensive Care Unit [ICU] equipment.

Mr Bwanika told Monitor that during their committee oversight visit to check on the performance of the health unit including the health equipment supplied to Gulu Regional Referral Hospital including the ICU equipment.

“We are here at Gulu regional referral hospital, there are issues where we were dissatisfied, majorly the issue of the ICU equipment. Government supplied these equipment, and they are very expensive,” Mr Bwanika said.

According to Mr Bwanika, the committee found out that the supplied equipment were dismantled by the hospital and some parts were also missing with no clear reasons and without consent of the Ministry of Health.

Adding that, “we have found out that they [ICU equipment] were dismantled; some parts, they do not even know where they are, they cannot account for the ICU units that were supplied by both the government and JICA and they are very disturbing.”

He however, revealed that the committee resolved that some of the hospital staff including the senior management should be handed over to police for investigations.

“So, we have handed one of them to the police, the one who is in charge of stores [Mr Robert Vupale] to make a statement. We also directed the police that the director of this hospital should make a statement to the police then investigation should follow,” Mr Bwanika told Monitor.

Adding that, “unfortunately, the director is not here because he is the one fully in charge but he will make a statement to the police when he comes back but we are going to do a thorough investigation into this matter.”

This publication has learnt that some parts of the ICU equipment were given to other departments after a request for the parts of the equipment to support them after COVID-19 pandemic.

According to Ms Christine Aciro, the in charge ICU unit at the hospital, the hospital received 10 ICU equipment from the government and some donations from JICA.

“We have 6 working ICU equipment with 4 currently operational at the ICU unit because of space, that is why we have reduced the numbers in the unit to 4,” Ms Aciro said.

Ms Aciro further told this publication that two out of the available working ICU equipment got spoiled with one being for the government and the other for JICA which are all in the store awaiting repairs.

“The former senior management before us, had a resolution to support other units with parts of the ICU equipment after the COVID pandemic including monitors and other parts due to the inadequacy at the hospital,” Ms Aciro said.

However, Ms Joyce Bagala Ntwatwa, the committee deputy chairperson refuted the decision made by the hospital to dismantle parts of the ICU equipment without informing the Ministry of Health about their proposed decisions.

According to Ms Bagala, the hospital should have consulted the ministry for guidance before dismantling the ICU equipment which are very expensive and supplied by both the government of Uganda and JICA.

“How can you be saying that there was a need for you to dismantle parts of the ICU equipment because other units need it, without consulting the ministry? This is not right,” Ms Bagala said.

Adding that, “you should have first communicated to the center [ministry of health] who have supplied these equipment before taking this decision. We are here to follow up if the ICU equipment that the government supplies is being utilized in the ICU unit; that is all we want.”