By Simon K. Turibamwe
Uganda Heart Institute (UHI), needs shillings 27.5Bn to effect its operations. John Omagino, the director Uganda Heart Institute says that although the institute needs shillings 27.5bn for effective operations, the government allocated only shillings 11bn which he doubts will be sufficient because the facility has also accumulated domestic arrears to a tune of shillings 1bn. Omagino cried out that the facility is now stuck with over 400 patients mainly children who can’t undergo operation due to lack of specialized supplies. Omagino noted that the facility needs Shillings 9bn to procure super specialized supplies needed to perform 400 surgeries. He revealed on how the available equipment is now operating at 30% capacity due to insufficient supplies. Some of the equipment needed as emergency at the UHI facility include: artificial pacemakers, valves, stents, and device closure among others. UHI needs to procure super-specialized supplies, sundries, and implements to operationalize the unit. Uganda doesn’t produce any of these things and are to be imported which has left the intense patients at the facility with no hope. As UHI struggles to effect operations, politics have been cited on its ups and down, the reason it has not effected operations as expected. Dr. Michael Eketcho, the vice president of the Uganda Heart Association (UHA) says there is a need to sort out politics in order to boost social services.
For comments, call or text 0752510225.
