UPDF team leaves Mulago with perfect COVID-19 record

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | A team of critical UPDF doctors, nurses and other experts who have been supporting the treatment of the Coronavirus (COVID -19) patients at the Mulago National Referral Hospital have been released today.

Dr. Byarugaba Baterana, the Mulago Specialised National Referral Hospital Executive Director released the team that has in the past month assisted screening, testing, treatment and caretaking.

This was after the hospital discharged it’s 21st case of the 23 that they have been treating yesterday. The rest Baterana said will be discharged back to their communities tomorrow.

Uganda so far has 79 confirmed cases, with 46 recoveries while 33 remain under treatment. Officials have so far done 22,318 tests.

The Ministry of Health had earlier requested the UPDF leadership to support them with medical workers as soon as numbers of people testing positive started increasing. Eighty six UPDF officials were then dispatched off to the different treatment centers.

“Thank you for being disciplined and for fighting the pandemic, we have together reduced COVID -19 to the minimum, disabled it and actually defeated it with a heavy blow. You can now be baptized as ‘COVID – 19 defeaters’ in this hospital and medals of victory awaits you,” said Baterana as he saw them off.

On his part, Maj Gen. Dr Ambrose Musinguzi the UPDF Chief of Medical services said that the 86 UPDF medics had been trained early on before Uganda confirmed any case.

Dr John Lusiba, the UPDF Physician who headed the UPDF team at Mulago said the time spent at the hospital was a learning opportunity for them since they got to rub shoulders with all the big names in the country’s health care.

“ It has not only been an opportunity to serve, but also a time to share experiences and learn from the most senior specialists that Uganda has at Mulago and from Makerere University. We learnt but also built civil military relations which are a strong pillar of the institution of UPDF,” said Dr Lusiba.

The UPDF medical team comprised of physicians, medical officers, Laboratory technicians, nurses and clinicians who the hospital says will be recalled in case need arises in the future.

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