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Kitgum, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Health workers at Pandwong health center III in Pandwong division, Kitgum municipality have embarked on outreach programs to extend health services in the community.
This comes almost three months after services at the facility were halted after the facility was turned into a quarantine centre for COVID-19 suspects.
Most of the medical workers at the facility had been integrated at Kitgum general hospital to back up the medical staffs in providing health services to patients.
However, the workers have since abandoned Kitgum general hospital and returned at Pandwong health centre after a series of complaints raised by Kitgum municipal council over the gradual decline in ranking of the facility by Health Ministry.
Kitgum municipal council town clerk, Emmanuel Banya says that the health workers have resumed outreach programmes on immunization, attending to HIV patients and monitoring Village Health team [VHT] activities.
Banya says the facility had since April this year been receiving negative ranking from the health ministry citing that it would have affected funding and release of drugs from the government if they had not resumed operations.
He notes that the decision to withdraw and integrate staffs of Pandwong health center III to Kitgum general hospital was taken irregularly by the district COVID-19 taskforce without any officially communicating to them.
Banya however notes that despite the resumption of medical outreaches, the staffs won’t be utilizing the health centre premises since it is still gazetted as a quarantine centre.
William Komakech, the Kitgum Resident District Commissioner and chairperson district COVID-19 taskforce notes that decision undertaken to turn the health centre into a quarantine followed an assessment conducted.
Pandwong health center III has eight health workers with a total record of 1,800 monthly patient’s attendance and four deliveries weekly. It offers a wide range of medical services including immunization, antenatal and postnatal care, deliveries and health education.
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