Local authorities accuse nurse of exposing them by wheeling patient
Courtesy photos of Ms Doris Okudinia pushing the patient from Ediofe Health Centre to Arua Regional Referral Hospital.
What you need to know:
- In a statement released by the Arua local government, authorities blamed the situation on lack of enough ambulance cars due to the number of people that need the services.
- However, many Ugandans including the minister of health Dr Jane Ruth Aceng took to social media to applaud the nurse for saving the life of a Ugandan in this coronavirus crisis.
A nursing officer in Arua District is allegedly facing harassment from local authorities for exposing them to the public for failing to provide transport means to the patient who needed to be referred to another hospital.
It is reported that the nurse trekked about 5 kilometres pushing a patient on a wheel chair from Ediofe Health Centre to Arua Regional Referral Hospital, after waiting in vain the ambulance from district Covid-19 taskforce.
According to the NMG correspondent in Arua District Mr Felix Warom Okello, after the photos of Ms Doris Okudinia pushing the patient went viral, the area deputy RDC Alice Akello approached her ascertain the motive of doing what she did. She accused the nurse of acting unprofessionally.
However, many Ugandans including the minister of health Dr Jane Ruth Aceng took to social media to applaud the nurse for saving the life of a Ugandan in this coronavirus crisis.
“A true hero, she is. True definition of service before self. I celebrate Sr Doris and all our health workers who sacrifice their lives to save thousands of lives daily. I appeal to the public to remember them in prayer and support them by following the MoH guidelines,” she tweeted.
In a statement released by the Arua local government, authorities blamed the situation on lack of enough ambulance cars due to the number of people that need the services.
“We agree the event was occasioned by the delay of our ambulances that were handling other emergency cases in different locations. We also allude that this delay could have cost a life. The nurse acted unprofessionally, though her act of humanity was purely intended to save a life, which can never go unnoticed,” statement posted on the district facebook page, reads.
The authorities, however, deny that the nurse was in anyway harassed by the local leaders.
“We insist that no leader from the district has harassed or threatened the nurse because of this act. We may not have handled the matter in a manner the public expected but we promise to do better next time,” the statement further reads.
