The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Only 117 districts across the country are reporting positive cases of COVID-19, yet the disease has spread in all corners of the country according to Health Minister Dr Jane Ruth Aceng.
Although she doesn’t mention the districts that are not testing, Aceng reveals that the government has not been able to disperse funds to about 17 districts, something that has affected their surveillance for the viral respiratory disease.
A supplementary budget of 119 billion Shillings has been dispersed for COVID-19 related interventions, the chunk of it going towards treatment, restocking hospitals with infrastructure such as Intensive Care Unit facilities including oxygen.
The funds for surveillance which include testing and contact tracing are mainly from donors which cannot cater for all the big needs according to the minister. Currently, those that are being tested at no cost include contacts of positive cases that develop symptoms and alerts from the community.
Those that opt for a test out of their own will have to pay a fee between 200,000 and 400,000 Shillings depending on the facility one goes to. This fee is still unaffordable by many Ugandans who remain in the community untested.
Contrary to reports by the ministry last week that some districts are COVID-19 free, Aceng said they have currently grouped districts into those that have widespread community transmission and those that have clusters of infection. She says there is no district in Uganda that has no case at all.
As of today, Uganda has recorded a total of 12,971 cases with some 114 deaths. Also, some 7,556 people have recovered from the viral respiratory disease.
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