The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Kampala City Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago has asked government to decentralize COVID-19 vaccination and testing to allow easy access to the services especially during the days of nationwide lockdown instituted by President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni.
Lukwago speaking at a press briefing at City Hall asked that the vaccination and testing services that have been offered at Kampala Capital City Authority-KCCA be extended to other vaccination centers spread in the five divisions of Kampala. Vaccination and testing for COVID-19 has been done at City Hall clinic and Mulago Hospital.
He says KCCA has 800 vaccination centers that have been used previously during vaccination campaigns that can be used to bring the services closer to the people.
Lukwago says it is hard for people to move to KCCA for vaccination and testing at a time when public transport has been suspended as a measure to control the spread of the coronavirus.
The head of the COVID-19 taskforce at KCCA, who is also the Resident City Commissioner Hussein Hud says that the Ministry of Health is making plans to avail vaccination and testing services at community centers including worship places. Hud also said that the Ministry is in talks with the private sector to see how testing can be extended further through private health facilities. He however says until then, there are still rapid testing kits at KCCA for people who display symptoms of COVID-19.
Meanwhile, KCCA is yet to resume vaccination for COVID-19 since they run out of the vaccine more than a week ago. A poster pinned at the entrance of the KCCA offices tells members of the public that the Authority has not received more vaccines for them to be able to extend the services. It is yet to be known when the Authority shall be given more vaccines.
Uganda received 964,000 vaccine doses which were sent to different local governments and according to the health ministry, KCCA was one of the local government authorities that received the highest number of vaccines with an estimated number of 200,000 doses.
However, it emerged recently that KCCA had not accounted for 21,000 doses that it received and a call was made by the Ministry of Health for the Authority to account for all doses given to it.
Although the KCCA Spokesperson Daniel Nuwabine said they were still in-putting data to account for the doses, the matter had raised concern at City Hall and the Lord Mayor said they had launched an investigation into the allegations of missing vaccines at KCCA.
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