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Six Gulu schools decline to turn into Covid-19 centres
A health worker takes a blood sample from a pupil of Awach Primary School in Gulu District against Hepatitis B on September 23, 2019. The management of the school is under probe for allegedly refusing to turn the institution into a Covid-19 treatment centre. PHOTO | POLYCAP KALOKWERA
The management of six schools in Gulu District are under investigation for allegedly rejecting a proposal by district authorities to turn the institutions into Covid-19 treatment centres.
The schools are Awach Central Primary School, Burcoro Primary School, Gwengdia Primary School, Latwong Primary School, Awach Primary School and Awach Secondary School, all in Awach Sub-county.
The district Covid-19 taskforce and the security committee last month agreed to use the schools after St Mary’s Hospital Lacor and Gulu Regional Referral Hospital started running out of space to handle Covid cases.
Mr Stephen Odong Latek, the Resident District Commissioner, said the schools have no right to block the taskforce.
“I have sent a team to investigate the matter. We want to find out why they rejected the move,” Mr Latek said.
“If they fail to provide satisfactory explanation, we are going to take action against them. I have summoned the head teachers to explain why they refused the taskforce to use their facilities,” he added.
Dr Kenneth Cana, the acting district health officer, said Gulu Hospital is filled up, adding that sometimes the facility is congested , which violates the standard operating procedures (SoPs).
“We are stuck because many Covid-19 patients with underlying conditions need to be monitored from a gazetted facility since home-based care is failing them,” he said.
However, Mr Sunday Braxton Ojara, the district sports officer, who was responding on behalf of the district education officer, said they had not received any formal communication from the taskforce over the matter.
Gulu has so far registered 2,940 cases of coronavirus and 63 deaths. Gulu Regional Referral Hospital alone has so far registered 734 cases and 13 deaths.
Dr James Elima, the hospital director, said they have received Shs230 million from the Ministry of Health to expand the treatment unit to handle the increasing cases.
On Monday, hospital management turned the antenatal ward into a Covid-19 treatment unit.
The current unit has a bed capacity for only 10 patients yet they have 15 critically-ill patients.
Dr Elima said the treatment unit will have 15 intensive care unit beds as soon as the renovation of the antenatal ward is complete.
“Renovation has already started and we expect it to be completed in three weeks so that we can decongest the old treatment unit,” Dr Elima said.
Meanwhile, the city and district Covid-19 taskforces have expressed worry that more people could die following a shortage of Covid-19 drugs at Gulu Hospital.
The Gulu City Covid-19 taskforce on Monday appealed to the Health ministry for help.
“The case management teams still lack essential medicines such as Azithromycin, Vitamin, lack of PPEs, body bags and other logistical challenges,” Mr Alfred Okwonga, the city mayor, said.
Mr Okwonga said the deceaseds’ relatives are asked to buy the body bags yet the hospital is supposed to provide them.
“Every person who lost a relative due to Covid-19 is asked to buy the bags, which is a big problem. The testing kits and reagents for Covid-19 in health centres are also not there,” he added.
Whereas many people have now been asked to undertake treatment from home, Mr Okwonga said such patients are instead mixing with the community and spreading the infection because they cannot afford the drugs.
Mr Michael Rubanga, the assistant district health officer, said 56 patients are in ICU at both Lacor and Gulu hospitals.
Compiled by Tobbias Jolly Owiny, Ivan Tolit & Alex Pithua
