Health Minister Orders for Maternal Death Audit in Arua Regional Referral Hospital.

By Robert Ariaka

Arua April 7, 2017

The minister for health Dr. Ruth Aceng in a closed door meeting with the leaders of Arua district and Arua regional referral hospital management on Friday ordered for a maternal death audit and completion of the already started investigations into the hospital financial lose.

Addressing the media shortly after the meeting, Dr. Aceng said there is a standoff between the hospital management board and Arua district local government. She said the standoff is majorly because of lack of communication between the two institutions.

Dr. Aceng said because of the complaints on death cases, I have directed for a special maternal death audit to be done to establish the death cases in the maternity section and other wards.

“We regret the death of patients that have taken place because of negligence, but we are going to send a maternal death audit team to carry death audit” Dr. Aceng said.

When asked on patients complain on health workers extoring money, Dr. Aceng advised patients from whom health workers ask for money to report immediately to the hospital authority for action. She said, it’s wrong for health workers to extort money from patients but argued that, it’s an individual practice of health workers asking for money.

She said the hospital board chairman’s time in office will expire in the next four months and the districts in West Nile can recommend new names to the board. She however said before the current board is removed from office, they must first complete the investigations they started and implement the recommendations within the four months period.

Some of the issues the board raised under investigations are the financial loss of Shs. 253 million, fraudulent procurement of equipment and negligence by health workers leading to death.

She also said the hospital director Dr. Bernard Odu is already scheduled for transfer but he will only be transferred once the financial year ends because he is the accounting officer. According to Dr. Aceng, the director can’t be transferred without fully accounting for the financial lose in the hospital.

She observed that, there are gaps in financial management, procurement process, lack of transparency and accountability which have marred the hospital administration and need to be properly accounted for before transfers of staff can be made.

The minister however blamed parliament for failing to enact a law to regulate prices for private wings in government hospital arguing the prices determined by the board can’t be regulated by any law. She advised the board to revise the price for private wings in the facility.

The minister said because the hospital director Dr. Bernard Odu is in the spot light over 253 million shillings which office of auditor general implicated him and the matter was taken to Parliamentary Accounts Committee for query, the process must be completed for legal redress.

Wadri Sam Nyakua the LCV chairman Arua demanded the minister to instead allocate budget for construction of general hospital because Arua district lacks a general hospital but majorly relies on the regional referral hospital.

Wadri also asked the minister for a forensic audit which he said will help unearth the hidden financial lose in the facility. However, Dr. Aceng said forensic audit is expensive and instead asked the district to raise funds for the forensic audit.

Arua district council meeting on Thursday 30 debated on the death of 220 patients from the month of September 2016 to januray 2017. Out of the death toll, 92 are children, 14 are mothers and 113 from other wards.

Recently a woman identified as Christine Kebita died from the hospital over alleged neglect and the case is currently under investigations by the police.

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Health Minister Throws out Journalists from Attending Arua Hospital Crisis Meeting

By Robert Ariaka

Arua April 7, 2017

Email: ariaka2012robert@gmail.com

Tel: +256777374441

 

The junior minister for primary health care Dr. Joyce Moriku in the presence of her boss Dr. Ruth Acheng threw out journalists from various media house in Arua from attending a crisis meeting organized in Arua regional referral hospital.

The meeting which showed high tempers from the district councilors of Arua led by their chairman Wadri Sam Nyakua together with the health ministers and board of directors ministry of health, the District Police Commander, the Resident District Commissioner, District Health Officer and the former member of parliament Christine Abia is set to discuss the mess in Arua hospital ranging from corruption, increasing death of patients and poor administration.

The councilors first reject the meeting to be chaired by the already disposed board chairman Ezati Ezaruku and asked the minister to chair the meeting on grounds of local disagreement.

When it was time for introduction, various leaders identified themselves including the journalist from New Vision, Arua one, daily Monitor, Voice of life, Radio Pacis and West Nile Press association. Just after the introductions, Dr. Moriku asked the journalists to move out of the hospital board room arguing the discussion doesn’t need the media but they will be briefed on the resolutions.

The councilors resisted the decision of the minister, but the various media house representative’s obliged and moved out of the meeting waiting for the media briefing from the health minister. Prior to the meeting at Arua hospital board room, Minister Ruth Acheng meet the district councilors for a brief discussion and cited communication gap as one challenge in the district and the hospital.

On Thursday March 30, Arua district council in a council seating resolved to dispose off the hospital board chairman Ezati Ezaruku over the increasing death tolls in the hospital, poor administration and failure to account for alleged corruption.

Council resolutions arose on reports and communication of the district chairman Arua Wadri Sam Nyakua that, 220 patients died from the hospital from September 2016 to January 2017 arguing the board chairman failed to submit any report to the council for action from the time he was appointed for the three years.

The report read indicates that between September 2016 to January 2017, 92 children died in the children’s ward due to lack of blood, 14 mothers who come for deliveries died mostly during operations in the facility. The mid wives are forced to use torches and phone lights to deliver mothers due to lack of power.

And 113 other patients died from other wards which the chairman and the councilor believe are a result of negligence.

Wadri says the death toll is high and as the district, they can’t seat and watch people die especially mothers and children. The councilors deliberated and recommended the recalling of Ezati Ezaruku as the board chairman.

Wadri said when he wrote a letter to the director and board over the mess in the hospital, Dr. Odu in response said the hospital is autonomous and only and responsible to answer to the central government but not the district.

Dr. Odu recently told New Vision he is only answerable to his boss but not the media. Over the issue of the theft of properties like the autoclave machine, he directed our reporter to the police investigations.

Other issues the council debated on are the fraudulent procurement of works and equipment leading to loss of funds, theft of generator, autoclave machine and the 253 million which was before the PAC and has never been accounted.

When contacted on Phone Ezaruku said he is not going to panic with the decision of the district council since he is accountable to the minister who appointed him. He says his immediate move will be to sue the district council and the chairperson in person for defamation.

Ezaruku said he is still the board chairman Arua regional referral hospital and there for will continue working until when the minister recalls him. He said there is no council document which appointed him to represent the district.

End

Five Armed Intelligence Officers Abduct Two South Sudanese Nationals From Uganda.

Five Armed Intelligence Officers Abduct Two South Sudanese Nationals From Uganda.

By Robert Ariaka

Moyo April 5, 2017

Email: ariaka2012robert@gmail.com 
Tel: +256777374441

Five Suspected South Sudanese intelligence officers on Tuesday evening abducted two South Sudanese nationals in Uganda and crossed with them to South Sudan.

The said South Sudanese nationals had taken refuge in Afoji border in Moyo Sub County on Ugandan side from where they were abducted by the five suspected intelligence officers who were armed under unclear circumstances.

The Oraba Border Post and Yei which have been deserted following Rebel attacks. Photo By Robert Ariaka.

SSP Michael Nampakfu, the Regional Police Commander North West Nile region confirmed the abduction on Wednesday and said the officers sneaked and abducted the two South Sudanese Nationals for reasons known to them and crossed with them to South Sudan.

He said the police was informed by the locals when they had completed their mission and crossed back to South Sudan. “We tried to follow them only to find they had crossed, but as police we liaised with the army and deployed at Afoji and other porous routes which are near the border” SSP Nampakfu said.

SSP Nampakfu said police enhanced deployment and restored calm. He says the region on daily basis receives refugees from South Sudan with many who cross via porous borders without using the official border routes.

We have also had cases where the refugees cross to Uganda with firearms and as police we usually disarm them before taking them to the camps. He observed that, some South Sudanese nationals have two homes both in their country and in Uganda which makes it hard to screen those who come to live with their relatives.

According to SSP Nampakfu, police together with the local leaders have joined in community policing to sensitize the refugees to stop crossing with firearms. He adds that, the locals are told to be vigilant and report cases of those armed immediately.

Meanwhile SSP Nampakfu said recently 14 South Sudanese were taken to court for murder case. They had ganged and murdered a South Sudanese nationals allegedly accused of practicing witchcraft.

He says several other South Sudanese nationals have been arrested over different crimes ranging from defilement, rape, domestic violence, fighting in the camps they commit in the camps.

He says much as the number of the refugees in the camps overwhelms that of the police manning security in the camps, they are trying their best to control the situation.

End.