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Arua, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | There is a disagreement between the management of Arua Regional Referral Hospital, Arua district and city leadership over the supervision of the facility.
Recently, the hospital management turned away a team of officials from Arua city and district who had gone to monitor service delivery on grounds that the facility is under the direct supervision of the health ministry and not Local government.
The hospital director Dr. Filbert Nyeko told the officials that there is no legal instrument mandating them to supervise and assert their authority on the management of the hospital.
The statements by the hospital director have not gone down well with the Arua City Mayor Sam Wadri Nyakua. Nyakua says that their attempts to question the manner in which the hospital operates has met resistance.
Alfred Okuonzi, the Arua LC 5 chairperson explained that due to the ‘bad relationship’ between the hospital and local government leaders, they have resorted to finding ways of upgrading their lower health units to manage their health needs.
Similarly, Dickson Adomati, the Arua Deputy Resident City Commissioner said a lot of negativity about Arua Regional Referral Hospital has found its way into the public domain, which he says requires a lasting solution.
Adomati further warns against personalizing issues relating to the hospital management, saying his office will no longer tolerate it.
The bad blood between the hospital administration started following the mysterious disappearance of the hospital ambulance in March this year and death of three people including Arua District Agricultural Officer, Gertrude Badaru at the hospital COVID-19 Treatment Unit a month ago due to lack of oxygen.
In their visit to Arua last week, MPs sitting on the Parliamentary Committee on COVID-19 taskforce were puzzled at what they said was a total breakdown of the relationship between the hospital administration and local leaders. They called for an immediate solution to end the sour relationship.
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