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.
End
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