In the wake of the fast spreading deadly COVID-19 aka Coronavirus, Uganda’s health ministry has directed the National Drug Authority to carry out samples on the sanitizers on the market to rule out fake ones as the East African country unveils measures to mitigate the global pandemic.
This was revealed by Dr. Diana Atwine (pictured), the Ministry of Health Permanent Secretary while appearing before the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) today to respond to queries raised in the Aauditor General’s report.
Dr. Atwine told the Committee that there are fears that a number of fake manufacturers might use this time when the sanitizers are on high demand and dupe the public.
She called on NDA to quickly take samples and ensure those on market meet the set standards to kill the virus that has put the entire world on tension.
In a related development, Dr. Atwine also said that Government is being challenged as people who are under monitoring for Coronavirus are not adhering to the self-quarantine as required, with many still socialising in public places.
As a result, the Ministry of Health has resorted to imposing institutional quarantine where companies are working with Government to control flights of their employees though many are still flocking the country.
Government is now planning to ban flights from countries with high numbers of Corona virus cases.
Atwine also said that the threat of Coronavirus is now a big burden to the Ministry and that apart from the two isolation places they have put in place, Entebbe Grade B and Mulago hospital, Government is looking at preparing other regional referral hospitals as it will be so stretching to transport patients if any from different places to the two isolation centers.
The plan will involve recruiting temporary workers since the current ones are overwhelmed with the corona virus scare that has left many of them at border points spending sleepless nights given the huge numbers of the people entering the country yet they have to be screened first.
Due to these adverse conditions, cabinet has already approved the request by the ministry that temporary workers be recruited and that adverts to this cause are about to be published.
