Police in Karenga district in Karamoja sub region in the North Eastern Uganda have arrested a laboratory technician attached to Kapedo health centre III for allegedly refusing to carry out test on Covid-19 suspects, demanding first to to be paid his allowance.
Robert Lamson Okidi was arrested on Saturday afternoon following the death of two patients whose blood samples he refused to take to acertain their sickness tp make it easy to administer treatment on them.
Samuel Mpimbaza Hashaka the Resident District Commissioner Karenga who doubles as chairman district task force on Covid-19 told URN that the arrest of Okidi was prompted by the report by the health officer in charge of Kapedo to the district task force.
According to Hashaka, Dr. Maruk Marmar Lousi reported to the task force that one his staff had refused to work claiming he wants to be paid first.
” It’s against this I ordered for the arrest of the lab technician because he shouldn’t have refused to attend to the patients,” he said.
Mariko Marmar Lousi the officer in charge of Kapedo health centre III when contacted, confirmed to URN that his staff refused to work causing the death of two people who had presented signs of Covid-19.
“I tried to plead with the guy to work but he become rough on me so we couldn’t guess what treatment to give the patients without knowing what they were suffering from so these patients died just like that,” he said.
Betty Awilly, one of the village health team -VHTs attached to Kapedo health centre said the lab technician has been arrogant towards patients, adding that sometimes he comes to the health centre at his own time.
“Sometimes I ask myself why do people cry for jobs and when God blesses them with the jobs they become stress to the local community,” she said.
Majid Sentosi, the district police commander Karenga confirmed the arrest of the officer saying he will be charged with negligence.
“We have him in our custody and our file is almost ready, we will produce him before court to answer charges of negligence,” he said.
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