Fort Portal gets regional emergency public health operations centre

Fort Portal regional referral hospital has received a regional public health emergency operation centre for early detection of disease outbreaks in the communities around the Rwenzori region.

The centre was built by the Ministry of Health in partnership with the Centre for Disease Control and Baylor Uganda. It is expected to help the region in sharing data on the outbreak of emergency diseases such as; Ebola, Crimean Congo Haemorrhagic Fever, and Rift Valley Fever among others.

For the last five years, districts along the border with DR Congo, especially Kasese, have been experiencing the outbreak of Crimean Congo Haemorrhagic Fever and Ebola and many lives have been lost.

The Director of the National Public Health Emergency Operation Centre, Dr Isa Makumbi, said the Rwenzori region is prone to disease outbreaks but the facility will help them to control the diseases.

“This region (Rwenzori) is vulnerable to emergencies of diseases but this time we want to control these diseases at the source to stop their spread to other communities,” he said.

The Fort Portal Regional Referral Hospital Director, Dr Alex Adaku, said the new facility will help to easily detect diseases and coordinate with the ministry for intervention.

“This time we shall be able to analyse data in time and respond immediately with relevant authorities on emergencies,” he said.   

In 2021, USA under Risk Reduction Agency in partnership with UWA established a modern Biosafety laboratory level II (BSL2) worth Shs2 billion at Mweya in Kasese to enable health workers to diagnose the emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases from animals to human beings and vice versa.

The Minister of State for Primary Health Care, Ms Margaret Muhanga, said that after the detection of diseases, the ministry will respond quickly to evacuate and treat the patients.