Government to privatise ambulances

KAMPALA

The government is considering privatising ambulances in health centres after it emerged that the facilities have failed to maintain them.

Health minister Christine Ondoa yesterday said despite government’s commitment to improve maternal health, service delivery in referral hospitals and health centres was still wanting.

Citing an example of lack of ambulances at most health centres, she explained that some health units have failed to transport expectant mothers when they are recommended to referral hospitals, putting many at risk.

“The government is planning to make a national ambulance system which will be run by Ministry of Health, local government and police. We started piloting it in West Nile and Kabarole early this year. If the system works out, we will scale it up to other regions,” she said. “The ministry has plans to improve maternal health. The only bottleneck is to improve service delivery.

The challenge now is that we don’t have funds to buy more ambulances and the available ambulances are not maintained.” Dr Collins Tusingwire, the Ministry of Health assistant commissioner of reproductive Health, said the ministry had gone back to the drawing board to see how to operationalise the ambulances.

Health assembly
Dr Ondoa’s remarks come ahead of the World Health Assembly next week where member states are expected to endorse resolutions of the UN commission on life saving commodities for women and children. According to Ms Esther Nasikye, the World Vision child health campaign coordinator, some deaths can be prevented through access to life saving commodities like Amoxicillin, Zinc, Oxytocin, Magnesium Sulfate for women and children.

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