The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Kabale, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Missing Covid-19 testing data from Kabale district on the national tally dashboard is hampering effective monitoring and enforcement of preventive guidelines issued by the health ministry, the district taskforce has revealed.
Apparently, Kabale district has 119 active Covid-19 cases. Forty-three of these are receiving treatment in various health facilities while the remaining are under home-based care. However, the taskforce has raised concern about the inaccurate compilation of Covid-19 testing results from the district submitted to the ministry.
Dr. Sophie Namasopo, the director of Kabale Regional Referral Hospital who also seats on the taskforce says the figures from Kabale create a false impression that they have lower Covid-19 cases. She cites the statistics issued last month indicating that Kabale was registering between 0-1 Covid-19 cases per day.
She says that the statistics only captured the numbers at Kabale Regional Referral Hospital, yet lower health facilities also conduct tests but don’t submit the data to the health ministry for compilation. According to Dr. Namasopo, this is hampering proper planning towards the fight against the pandemic.
Kabale district vice-chairperson Miria Akankwasa Tugume says that the inaccurate report makes people in the district think the taskforce is exaggerating figures. She also says that this has encouraged complacency among the residents when it comes to observing the standard operating procedures.
Alfred Besigensi, the Kabale District Health Officer admits the mismatch of the figures on the ground and those announced by the ministry. He explains that lower health centers involved in Covid-19 testing have never received the password that allows them to submit the figure directly to the ministry.
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