ZOMBO: 25-30 ACRES OF LAND NEEDED FOR ESTABLISHMENT OF A COMMUNITY HOSPITAL

By mike Rwothomio

Zombo
              
Zombo district has been asked by the family of the late Resident District Commissioner (RDC) Retired Lt. Col Pius Alitema, to search for a vast piece of land measuring 25-30 acres for proposed establishment of a community hospital in the area.

The late RDC Alitema, whose memory is still fresh in the minds of many leaders and locals in Zombo, died whilst being rushed to Arua regional referral hospital when his undisclosed health condition deteriorated from Nyapea Hospital in March this year.

Following the sad demise of Alitema, his family pledged to establish a well-functional   community hospital that shall be providing services for the locals free of charge, and then tasked the district leadership to offer land for the project.

Sadiki Onencan, the district chairperson social services committee also the male councilor for Paidha town council in a recent district council meeting at the district council hall, told fellow councilors and other leaders that the late RDC’s family requested the district to search for  a vast piece of land measuring 25-30 acres for the establishment of the project.
 
Onencan  disclosed that, the family recently had an extensive Zoom meeting with some selected leaders of Zombo and a lot was discussed for the betterment of the project, adding that the family wants the non for profit venture not to be affiliated to any religious denomination but be community based.

“First of all, there was a zoom meeting  involving some selected people with the family of the late and the draft concept note were sent, we have it, they want us now to look at it and put in our effort then send it back to them such that we harmonize it, they also gave us condition to get a piece of land of about 25-30 acres that will be our community contribution and it is the one they are going to use to lobby for the fund because they want to put one of the best hospital in the district which has everything” Onencan explained in a recent council meeting .

The border district of Zombo with over 200,000 population, has only one Catholic Church founded Nyapea Hospital, 1 health centre IV (Warr), 9 health centre III of which 3 are privately owned and 8 health centre II of which 2 are privately owned according to the 2022 statistics from the district health department.  

The community sometimes survive by the grace of God in case of emergencies that needs referral to Arua regional referral hospital, which is many kilometers away.
The situation is worsened by the unendurable condition of the roads in the area, laced with potholes during rainy season, and the unbearable dust become a new menace during dry season.

It’s worth noting that, the sudden demise of the late RDC Alitema was highly attributed to lack of functional health facilities and poor state of roads in the area.
Zombo district lack servicing rural communities medical care and citizens in isolated areas have less access to the proper facilities in case of emergency and considering how much of the rural population is made up of senior citizens , it’s pretty  clear how necessary it is to have the right facilities in the remote areas.

Songa Biyika Lawrence, the area Member of Parliament for Ora County in Zombo who in March this year offered 2 million Uganda shillings in support of the project said the initiative needs support from everyone.

“The family of the late RDC have shown us their generosity, we need to support the initiative with all our strength,” Songa earlier told Journalists in an interview
Similarly, Gabriel Okumu, the MP for Okoro County who earlier offered 5 million Uganda shillings in support of the project had rallied for joint support from everyone, further appealing to the government to construct its own functional heath facility for the people of Zombo.

Grace freedom Kwiocwiny, the presidential advisor before she was replaced from the ministerial position of the state minister of northern Uganda, had earlier promised to offer some material support to aid the establishment of the community hospital.
 
Zombo health facilities most of which are along the Uganda-DR Congo border handle influx of patients from the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo and in most cases, not enough beds, personnel, drugs amongst others can lead to loss of lives.
 
Effort by this publication to get comment from the late RDC family over the project latest development proved futile.