According to Dr. Oryema, the mass cholera vaccination campaign targets people from 1 year and above. He says under the campaign they will also install chlorine dispensers at landing sites, which are prune to cholera to provide clean and safe water to residents.
The Ministry of Health is seeking additional 13 billion shillings in order to enhance salaries of medical specialists in a bid to attract more doctors.
The ultimatum comes at a time the hospital is overwhelmed with issues of unclaimed bodies that have tainted its image. Early this month, Moroto Regional Referral Hospital Mortuary had 14 unclaimed bodies which had stayed for months.
On Wednesday May 23, Bubulo West Member of Parliament Rose Mutonyi, told parliament that cases of the strange disease causing children to urinate blood and later on die had been reported in Bukusu, Nabutoola and Bugobero Sub counties.
During the meeting, the legislators tasked Atwine to justify the proposed recruitment of Cuban Doctors. They also criticised the presidents remarks on Labor Day celebrations directed at Ugandan doctors, saying they were demoralizing, inconsiderate and insensitive given the challenges faced by local doctors.
Parliaments health committee has warned of increased maternal mortality if government does not provide an additional 5.4 billion Shillings required to increase blood collections across the country. The committee chairperson, Dr. Michael Bukenya, says that government has provided only 9.6 billion of the required 15.1 billion shillings for Uganda Blood Transfusion Services UBTS to collect 240,000 units of blood annually. This translates into a shortage of 90,537 units of blood.
Legislators sitting on parliaments health committee have for the second time halted the consideration and approval of the 1.8-trillion-Shilling health sector budget citing inaccuracies in the figures. Pleading with the committee, Minister Aceng apologised for the errors blaming them on the programme based budgeting system that was rolled out by the finance ministry very late in the course of the financial year.
However, the Health Budget Committee Chairperson, Michael Bukenya, says the proposed budget cut in such a critical sector is uncalled for, saying it is likely to affect ordinary Ugandans.
Dr. Joshua Musinguzi, the head of the HIV Control Program in the Health Ministry, says the funding will help government to conduct the Uganda Population HIV/Aids Impact Assessment Survey- UPHIA.
Dr. Ruth Acen ,the Director General of Health Services says the Ministry of health is cautioning residents living near forests to be careful. She says they should even avoid going to forests because they are habitats for mosquitoes that transmit the yellow fever virus.
In many parts of Uganda, particularly Karamoja and parts of South Western Uganda, Pregnant women have arrived at the hospital with severe complications, but could not be attended to without proper lighting. In some cases, midwives have used candles, kerosene lanterns and cellphones to lighten Labour wards and clinics, a practice which is far from ideal when dealing with issues of life and death.
The state has protested what it calls delaying tactics by the Health Ministry Permanent Secretary, Dr Asuman Lukwago in order to avoid plea taking in connection to the corruption charges slapped against him.
The Health Ministry has also deployed 10 health consultants headed Dr. James Ssekajugo, the Programme Manager Non Communicable Disease Prevention and Control officer in the Ministry of Health to diagnose diabetes patients.
Swaibu Sula Mbaaya suddenly entered Masaka social centre and shocked Health Ministry officials led by Dr. Jacinto Amandua, a Commissioner from the Health Ministry with allegations that Masaka Hospital health service collapsed way back.
