Health workers on spot over theft of medical equipment and drugs

By Sabir Musa

Arua City leaders have issued strong warning to health workers following several cases of medical equipment and drug theft and negligence of duty.
This comes just days after a Midwife at Adumi Health Centre 3 was arrested on allegation of stealing drugs and missing of a medical equipment.

Cornelius Jobile, Deputy City Clerk, confirms that several health workers are set to face the Reward and Sanctions Committee to answer cases against them.
“We are now a city but not municipality; we have to do the right things. So In-charges inform your staff that we are focusing on health and let them not fall culprits. We don’t want the repeat of what is going on in the media, let us learn lesson from our past experiences, but if you want to test the seriousness of management, try then you will face the consequences”. Jobile Said. He was speaking at an event to commission newly procurement assorted medical equipment worth 149 million shillings for health centres in the city.  This was financed through a pitch development under last financial year of the city.

Meanwhile, the Resident City Commissioner, Alice Akello has no kind word to health workers who will be caught committing crime.
“This should be a warning that my office is not going to sit, anybody who is caught will be prosecuted up to the end” she warns.
Dr. Pontious Apangu, Arua City Principal Medical Officer, says, commissioning of these equipment delayed because they had to create mark on them as a measure of easily tracking them in case of loss.

Kalsum Abdu Fadimula, the Secretary for Social Service, in Arua City, commits that council will closely monitor the sector.
Arua City Council has newly procurement medical equipment. These among others include: autoclave machine, infant warmer with phototherapy, oxygen concentrators, delivery bed, stethoscope, refrigerator and vaccine carriers.