The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Gulu, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Gulu Regional Referral Hospital is demanding from the government 509.9 million shillings in arrears accrued from the treatment of Covid-19 and management.
Part of the arrears were meant for risk allowances of clinicians, nurses, surveillance teams, hygienists, laboratory technicians, psycho-social counsellors and surveillance team attached to COVID-19 Treatment Unit – CTU.
In June 2020, at the height of COVID-19 infection during the first lockdown, 31 health workers who included some personnel from the World Health Organization and Ministry of Health were deployed at the facility to reinforce the fight against the pandemic.
Dr Paska Apiyo, in-charge of the CTU at the facility says she is among the staff who have not been paid the risk allowance yet constantly work under stress and for long hours.
Dr Apiyo disclosed that some of the staff who had complained about the delay in the payment of their allowance were redeployed to the different departments in the hospital before they could be paid.
Dr James Elima, the Hospital Director says that the arrears amounting up to 280 million of the 509.9 million is meant to cater for staff allowance while the balance would settle bills incurred in feeding both patients and staff at the CTU since 1st May 2020.
According to Elima, the hospital received up to 486 million shillings from the Ministry of Health in three different releases in 2020, but the funds were spent on the purchase of drugs, fuel, vehicle repairs, allowances, meals and refreshments, airtime and bundles, support and supervision.
Available statistics indicate that Gulu Regional Referral Hospital has lost up to 25 patients from the pandemic from 3,209 cumulative confirmed cases. However, of those, 2,917 have been able to recover.
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