Govt commissions another Ebola treatment centre

The Ministry of Health has launched a new Ebola treatment and isolation centre at Mulago hospital that was constructed by partner states and international agencies such as Unicef and World Health Organisation (WHO).

According to the Minister of Health, Dr  Jane Ruth Aceng, the semi-permanent facility that was constructed at Mulago playground will help build resilience in the fight against the outbreak of any infectious disease. Ms Aceng said whereas there is a drop in the number of Ebola cases, there is a need to have standby mechanisms.

“The facility is not constructed for use during the current Ebola crisis only, it will also be used as a training unit for health workers on how to handle emergency outbreaks. With guidance from WHO, we hope that the facility will become a training facility for the East African region,” she said during the commissioning on Friday at Mulago playground.

The new facility becomes the seventh Ebola treatment unit in the country, where three are in Mubende, one in Kassanda, one in Entebbe and now two in Mulago, all with a capacity of 356 beds. The facility has a capacity of 32 beds, and intensive care units.

The incident manager at WHO, Mr Charles Njuguna, said it is very important to build resilience in the fight against emergency outbreaks.

“Crisis outbreaks can be very easy to handle if the government prepares for their management in advance. I want to applaud the government and all partners for this milestone,” Mr Njuguna said.

According to the data by the Ministry of Health, as of Friday, Uganda had 142 confirmed Ebola cases, 86 discharged and 56 deaths. Daily Monitor also learnt that no new cases have been registered for the last 11 days and according to Dr Aceng, the government may lift the ban on movements in Mubende and Kassanda after the ongoing 21 days of restricted movement that will end on December 17.

The governments of Sweden, Luxembourg and United Kingdom through WHO donated health equipment worth Shs3.6b to Uganda to equip the new Ebola Treatment Unit at Mulago as well as other isolation centres in Jinja and Masaka.

The equipment include incinerators, two 45KVA generators and tents. 

Speaking at the handover ceremony, Dr Aceng said: “The new Mulago Ebola treatment unit will enable us to strengthen our Ebola preparedness and response activities in the country. We, therefore, welcome our partner’s timely support to equip the facility immediately after its commissioning”

Mr Njuguna said Uganda was considered because it is prone to public health emergencies including Ebola, Crimean Congo, and rift valley fever.

“We therefore think that with the equipment and facilities in place, the country will be able to deal with all other threats besides Ebola,’’ he said.