Africa-Press – Uganda. Several patients in Tororo have resorted to seeking health services in private health care centers after the district recorded drug stock-outs in majority of its government health facilities.
Confirming the grim development, Tororo District LC5 chairperson John Okeya said this is an “expensive alternative to many.”
But Okeya attributed the persistent stock-out of medical supplies to the increased number of patients visiting health care facilities.
“What we have to understand is that the budget that the National Drug Authority (NDA) is using to allocate medical supplies to Tororo was made 10 years ago when the population was still at 500,000 but now it’s over 800,000 people… and mark you our facilities are also competed for by communities from the neighboring districts and Western parts of Kenya,” he noted on Friday.
“Therefore, we need the budget to be revised,” the district boss told a gathering at the official commissioning of an ambulance for Mulanda Health Centre IV at an occasion presided by defence state minister Jacob Oboth Oboth.
According to Tororo District Health Officer Dr Okoth Obbo, the district last received medical supplies in November 2023.
He dismissed claims that medical staff in public health facilities are hoarding supplies.
Responding to the persistent stock-out of medical supplies, the minister said government is working modalities of sticking all government health care facilities but appealed to communities and local leaders to be vigilant against theft of medical supplies.
Meanwhile, minister Oboth warned on the misuse of the ambulance and urged residents to ensure that they monitor its use.
“I have also to deliver this appeal from the government that we have delivered this ambulance, but we also ask you to adhere to governments ban on use of ambulances to transport dead bodies,” he appealed.
The minister emphasized that delivery of the ambulance is just a fulfillment of the NRM manifesto towards improving health service delivery.
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