Leaders in Amuru District in Northern Uganda have appealed to government to construct a healthy center III at the border point of Elegu town with South Sudan.
Currently, an estimated 10,000 residents of Elegu have to trek for 11km to Biabia health III or Atiak health centre IV which is 40 farther kilometres to receive health services. The town council is also hosting a transitional centre for hundreds of South Sudanese refugees fleeing political unrest in South Sudan.
Now patients including pregnant mothers who need antenatal care are forced to depend on alternative services offered by clinics and sometimes drug shops for healthcare. The arrangement is risky and expensive on vulnerable families.
The situation has become more complicated by the risk of coronavirus infection from foreign truck drivers coming from South Sudan.
Over the last two weeks, over 20 people screened at the boarder have been confirmed positive of COVID19, with some local leaders calling for a mandatory quarantine for all the Elegu residents in order to prevent further spread of infections in the district.
Dr Patrick Odong Olwedo, the District Health Officer revealed that Elegu deserves a fully-fledged level III health centre to treat diseases such as malaria; cough, skin diseases and gastroenteritis infections among others.
Amuru LCV chairperson Michael Lakony, revealed they have petitioned Dr Jane Ruth Aceng, Minister Health and Office of the Prime Minister to build for them the health facility through the Response to Displacement Impact Project (DRDIP) funding.
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