The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Wakiso, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Resident District Commissioner (RDC) for Wakiso District Justine Mbabazi has asked the District medical team to account for funds that were allocated to handle COVID-19 emergency responses in the district.
The accountability she is demanding fo is for the inland travel allowances of sh70 million, Sh37 million for allowances, 22 million for vehicle maintenance, and Sh20 million for transporting vaccines to the centres.
Mbabazi said that the required accountabilities should be presented by the medical team at the next sitting of the District Covid Taskforce meeting.
She explained that the concern on issues of accountability is because the Ministry of Local Government sent the funds to the district purposely to handle COVID emergency response.
Mbabazi also said that they have received information about the people at the vaccination centers soliciting money from the people who turn up for vaccination.
“We are investigating and all those caught in the act and or found culpable shall be dealt with in accordance with the law,” Mbabazi said.
She was speaking in an interview after the District Taskforce Committee meeting at Wakiso headquarters where they discussed strategies on how to implement the presidential directives regarding the increase of Covid vaccination.
“We have agreed to continue with community sensitization also targeting daily markets as well as religious leaders of the different denominations as far as Covid-19 is concerned at Wakiso,” Mbabazi.
Mbabazi’s demand for accountability followed a report by the District Health Officer, Dr Mathias Lugoloobi, Wakiso District showing that the district has since received Shillings 323 million which was spent on various activities like district rapid response teams, sample collection, training of laboratory technicians, risk assessment, monitoring and supervision of home-based care as well as data collection and supervision. He also said that 147 Million Shillings awaits approval from the District Council and another Shillings 90 million for vaccines.
According to Dr Lugoloobi, Wakiso District has to date received 435,258 doses which have since been distributed to the 30 vaccination centers across the district.
However, Dr Lugoloobi revealed that they are facing the major challenge of accessing the vaccines from the National Medical Stores- NMS which he said they keep saying they are waiting for authorization from the Health Ministry which also says they are still aggregating.
He said that while they are at zero balance currently, the district is waiting for feedback from the ministry and that a total of 1021 doses have been wasted, either opened and could not reach the number of people to be vaccinated on that day and passed the number of hours needed or the breakages.
He also revealed that they have so far vaccinated 390,000 people, most of whom are being entered into the system and that 232 people have reported side effects with one person dead and the matters were taken to the ministry for investigation.
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