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A section of the emergence call and dispatch center in Arua BY RICHARD DRASIMAKU AND MUSINGUZI GOODLUCK
Monday, January 20, 2025
When the Ministry of Health of Uganda took a bold step to stop importation of Covid-19 vaccines in 2022 and instead reinvest the money secured from the World Bank into health infrastructure construction, many skeptics questioned the wisdom of the move.
However, after two years of construction work, the health infrastructure landscape in West Nile sub-region is changing.
Several new maternity wards, general wards, office blocks, staff houses and other essential facilities replaced old structures at some key health facilities while what used to be Health center II are being upgraded into health center III.
For instance, Yumbe district received about six projects under the Uganda Covid-19 emergency response preparedness (UCREP) majority of which were implemented in and around the vast Bidibidi refugee settlement.
One of the projects is at Iyete Health center III in Bidibidi refugee settlement, Yumbe district, construction work is proceeding at pace aimed at turning the bamboo walled health facility to concrete structures.
Standard blocks for the Outpatients department, maternity ward, and general ward are approaching 95%.
This will greatly improve health service delivery with new equipment expected to be installed by the National Medical Stores and the Ministry of Health in the New Year.
“With the coming of permanent structures, we expect more comfort while delivering services,” James Mambo, a health worker at Iyete expressed enthusiastically.
Most of the clients are South Sudan refugees and the ratio of attendance of refugees to Ugandan nationals is 7:3, he said.
The sh2b Iyete health center construction is one of the projects funded by the World Bank under the Uganda Covid19 Response Emergency preparedness program, a result of dynamic planning when the ministry of health reallocated funds that were initially meant for Covid19 vaccine procurement to health infrastructure development.
Ivan Byaruhanga, the Site manager of Pearl Engineering Company that is constructing the buildings disclosed that had it not been because of the highwater table of the area, they would have already finalized work on the placenta pit and the incinerator.
These delayed a bit because they had to perform some engineering maneuvers to drain the water and construct concrete barriers and channels that were not part of the original project design.
Currently, the workers and engaged in floor cleaning and wall painting as well as fittings and finishes.
In the next two to three months, the workers would focus on external works such as levelling the compound, removing the temporary structures, making the walkways and drive ways.
George William Oboliangor, the health, safety and environment officer said there will also be a solar system installed to boost power supply and support the water pumping system.
At the Barakala Health Center IV, the construction works should have ended by June 2024 but the outpatients department and office block complex is still unfinished.
Siraj Baguma, the health center in-charge says that Barakala Health center in Yumbe district is being upgraded from a HCIII to a HCIV.
He said the facility benefitted from a sh450m under the development response to displacement impact program (DRIP).
However, this money was far less than the sh790m that Yumbe district wanted in order to uplift the status of the health center to a sub-district headquarters for Aringa-East constituency.
The others that are also being constructed include Koro health Center III and Twajiji among others. There is also Uriama Health Center III at Ofua refugees cluster in Terego district who works have reached 85% and is on course to be finished on time.
This is one of the projects funded under the Covid-19 preparedness program and its completion will enhance health service delivery to the South Sudan refugees and the host community in Terego district.
It includes a 6-bed capacity labour suit and 6-bed capacity postnatal care room in the maternity ward, a 6-bed capacity pediatric ward, general ward, outpatients, and toilets, a placenta pit and laboratory.
This is to add onto the existing facilities built by partners such as Care International that had already allowed Uriama Health Centre to operate at the level of a health center III.
“We are happy with the pace and quality of the work coming up. This facility is going to help cut down the cost of accessing health care, it will cut down cases of maternal deaths and death of infants,” said Denis Candia, the LC2 chairman of Akino parish where the health center is located.
“Our population including the refugees is so big that this actually qualifies to be a health center IV. We used to walk 10km to Bileafe dispensary but now we get medicines from here,” he added.
According t the health center demographic data displayed on the notice board, Uruama Health Centre III has a total catchment population of 26,212 people consisting of both South Sudan refugees and Ugandan nationals.
At least 15,805 refugees attended consultations at the health center OPD from January to November 2024, averaging 1,437 patients per month while 6,560 nationals averaging 596 attended OPD consultations at Uriama Health Center III in the same period.
Candia said both the government and the UNICEF supply medicines to Uriama health center III but the people were disappointed two weeks ago when one health worker, Daglas Onekalit, was arrested with stolen medicines estimated to be worth between sh9m to sh12m.
Also being constructed with funding support from the Belgian development cooperation agency, enable is the
At sh7.9b, the Arua Hospital Intensive Care unit is one of the biggest projects where a two storied complex construction is underway.
The site was a beehive of activity at the time of our visit as wheelbarrow pushers make their way with mixture of concrete up the rums for casting the concrete upstairs as plumbing technicians drill through the walls to fix pipes for the water, electricity and sewerage lines.
Scrubbing, screeding, floating and troweling works are all going simultaneously at the different rooms in the two-floor building.
The works launched at the beginning of the year have hit 71% according to the site manager, Allan Sitakange, of the HASO Engineers Company.
It will encompass ICU for males, females, and the neonatal equipped with life-saving support facilities, digital monitors, ventilators and high dependable beds for male and female patients, and isolation section for contagious diseases.
Sitakange said the works could have gone further than now but were delayed by the closure of the Karuma bridge which affected the transportation of construction materials.
It is one of the 14 projects at regional referral hospitals that the ministry undertook with funds that were initially meant for vaccine acquisition to fight Covid-19.
The new facility will be a big leap in enhancing emergency medical care in the region, coming as a result of the lessons learnt from the Covid 19 pandemic.
At the time of the groundbreaking one year ago, the commissioner for infrastructure at the Ministry of Health, George Otim said the facility will help the people to receive specialized treatment that otherwise would have required an expensive referral to Mulago.
At the time of the groundbreaking one year ago, the commissioner for infrastructure at the Ministry of Health, George Otim said the facility will help the people to receive specialized treatment that otherwise would have required an expensive referral to Mulago
“These will enhance the governments capacity to provide good quality health service to the people and the grassroots,” Moses Chuna Kapoloni, the Chef Administrative officer of Yumbe district said.
