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According to a report presented to Parliament by Premier Dr Ruhakana Rugunda, the cash donations currently total 15 billion shillings, while the goods in kind are valued at 13 billion Shillings. The report shows that the fund has received 65 vehicles, some of which are already deployed in various districts across the country.
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The National COVID-19 Fund
has received donations worth 28 billion Shillings since its establishment, in response to the needs occasioned by an outbreak of coronavirus disease. The donations include cash, assorted food items, medical supplies, vehicles and other non-food items.
According to a report presented to Parliament by Premier Dr Ruhakana Rugunda, the cash donations currently total 15 billion shillings, while the goods in kind
are valued at 13 billion Shillings. The report shows that the fund has received 65 vehicles, some of which are already deployed in various districts across the country.
The fund targets to raise 170 billion Shillings and 10 motor
vehicles for each of the 134 districts. The explanation follows a directive by the Speaker of Parliament Rebecca Kadaga for the government to provide
weekly updates on the country’s response towards the fight
against Coronavirus Disease.
Rugunda said that
the assorted food items have been utilized to respond to distress calls from different
groups in dire need, including hospitals, orphanages and homesteads, while medical
supplies have been delivered to the Ministry of Health for distribution across the
country.
He told parliament that the lockdown
measures have served and continue to serve the intended objective of taming the
virus saying that the country’s curve remains relatively flat and that if cases
of truck drivers are excluded, it becomes even flatter.
Uganda has recorded 274 cases of coronavirus disease, the majority of them, among long haul truck drivers.
He added that the government has prepared 3, 200 isolation beds and 378 ICU beds to handle
the epidemic at the current rate of spread. Mulago National Specialized Hospital has 900 beds, 36 adult and 27 pediatric
ICU beds while the Women and Neonatal Hospital has 35 adult and 30 pediatric
ICU beds.
According to Rugunda, the 16 Regional
Referral Hospitals have prepared 30 isolation beds each giving a total of 480 beds
and each Regional Referral Hospital is also being equipped with l0 ICU beds. The 50
General Hospitals will each provide 20 isolation beds and 164 Health Center
IV's will each provide five isolation beds.
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Rugunda also noted that the
President had during the lockdown period initiated
special support for Ugandan scientists to enable them to provide local solutions
in the area of developing a vaccine, diagnostics and production of drugs.
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in; “we salute Ugandan…
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out…of neighbouring countries.”//
But MPs tasked Rugunda to provide more explanation
on the delayed payment of frontline officers like the Police, Nurses, lab
attendants among others, the increasing levels of unemployment and the slow pace
at which food relief is distributed.