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Amuru, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Amuru district leaders are demanding for a health centre III in Elegu town council at the one stop border point.
An estimated 10,000 people who are residents in Elegu depend on Biabia health III which is 11 kilometres away or Atiak health cente IV which is a distant 40 kilometres. The town council is also hosting a transitional centre for hundreds of South Sudanese refugees fleeing political unrest back home.
Now patients including pregnant mothers needing antenatal care are forced to depend on alternative services offered by clinics and sometimes drug shops for healthcare. The arrangement is risky and expensive on vulnerable families.
Dr Patrick Odong Olwedo, the District Health Officer revealed that Elegu deserves a fully-fledged level III health centre to treat diseases such as malaria; cough, skin diseases and gastroenteritis infections among others.
Amuru LCV chairperson Michael Lakony, revealed they have petitioned Dr Jane Ruth Aceng, Minister Health and Office of the Prime Minister to build for them the health facility through the Response to Displacement Impact Project (DRDIP) funding.
Government policy requires health centre III facility to provide basic preventive, promotive and curative services. It has a staffing level 18 personnel led by a senior clinical officer who run a general outpatient clinic and a maternity ward including a functioning laboratory.
Elegu was among 422 town councils across Uganda in 2017 and became operational in 2018 as mandated by Article 179 (4) of the Constitution to help take services closer to the people and create jobs.
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