Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Government masks are yet to arrive in Mbale, despite the district being one of the Covid-19 hotspots in the country because of its proximity to neighboring Kenya. Residents in this district have faulted government for neglecting them given the fact that the region delivered the …
Read More »Lira hospital gets blood bank
Lira, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Lira Regional Referral Hospital has got a blood bank. The facility was set up by the Health Ministry in partnership with Star Pharmaceutical company. The blood bank comprises an Architect i2000 Elalyasar machine that will be used for screening, testing and analyzing blood. The blood …
Read More »Egypt sees sudden spike in COVID-19 cases, 911 new infections reported
Cairo, Egypt | THE INDEPENDENT | The coronavirus spread has suddenly spiked in Egypt as the north African country reported 911 new COVID-19 infections and 42 deaths on Wednesday, said Egyptian Health Minister Hala Zayed. After this spike, total deaths reached 7,209 while infections hit 127,972, the minister told reporters …
Read More »99% using new HIV drug without knowing what they are taking
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | HIV activists are blaming government for not giving people living with HIV information regarding the new Anti-Retroviral Therapies (ARVs) yet the country has adopted a human rights approach as a key tool in their HIV response as recommended by the World Health Organisation. In a …
Read More »Nurses and Midwives are our healthcare heroes
I was told that, “nurses are busy people, they are always rushing to save lives and we thought this special attention would help save them some time that would otherwise be spent in the long lines.” COMMENT | Judith Hope Kiconco | I was at a supermarket recently for last minute …
Read More »29% of Busia gold company staff get Covid-19; Residents want it temporarily closed
Busia, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Residents in Busia district are demanding for the closure of Wagagai gold mining company after nearly a third of the workers checked tested positive for covid-19. The said gold mining company has over 400 workers and occupies more than 2,000 acre of land in the …
Read More »FGM is between life and death- A survivor’s story
Amudat, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Tegla Chepolukuma was 13-years- old when her friends advised her to go for Female Genital cutting alias Female Genital Mutilation. She recalls how her peers kept counting the days to the D– day. “When that day reached I remember it was on Wednesday, my grandmother arrived …
Read More »36 essential workers in Mpigi test positive for COVID-19
Mpigi, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | At least 36 essential public servants in Mpigi district have tested positive for COVID-19 in a space of two weeks. The Mpigi Chief Administrative Officer, Moses Kanyarutokye disclosed this in a December 21st, 2020 memo to heads of department, administrative secretaries and security officers. “Mpigi …
Read More »Outside cleric barred from accessing prisons due to COVID-19
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT |Clerics from outside will not be allowed inside Uganda Prison facilities to celebrate mass with inmates this Christmas because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Uganda Prison Spokesperson, Frank Baine has revealed. According to Baine, allowing religious gatherings will lead to people converging and increase the chances …
Read More »Kakingol health staff share water with wild animals
Moroto, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Shortage of clean water at Kakingol health III in Moroto district has worsened. Currently, health workers are asking patients and expectant mothers to fetch water from the river bed for use at the health center before they are attended to. URN visited Kakingol health center …
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