The Minister of Health Dr Jane Ruth Aceng has said that it was President Yoweri Museveni who ordered the Ministry to procure double cabin pick-up trucks instead of ambulances that would be used in the Covid-19 fight.
Last week, the Ministry of Health displayed part of the 282 double Cabin pick-ups from Toyota bought using the Shs23bn donated last year by the public to help government fight the pandemic.
However, the public was not happy with the ministry’s decision of purchasing pick-ups instead of ambulances that would transport patients.
On Wednesday during a Parliamentary plenary, Dokolo Woman Member of Parliament Cecilia Ogwal asked Dr. Aceng to explain why the ministry decided to purchase pick-ups yet the Parliament had ordered them to buy ambulances.
“Parliament took a decision that every district must first be given a priority.Therefore every district was supposed to get an ambulance from that appropriated money. Secondly, it was decided that even hard-to-reach areas will have to get ambulances to ease movements. We want to know whether the decision Parliament took is being implemented or not?” Ogwal asked.
In response, Dr. Aceng said that at first, that was also the ministry’s wish, however, the President ordered that the solicited money should be used to buy Pick-ups so that districts, Municipalities and Cities will be able to cunduct surveillance and transport Covid-19 frontline workers.
She added that the audience was given to the national taskforce committee that received the money whose chairperson was Emmanuel Katongole and it was agreed that out of the Shs29bn which was collected, Shs23bn will be used to buy pick-ups. Dr. Aceng emphasized that her ministry took no decision but they just implemented what was agreed between the President and the committee.
“The money was banked and later alone taken to consolidated fund, the team members sat with the President and allocated Shs23bn towards the purchase of pick-ups. This was the vision of His Excellency to ensure that every district can comfortably carry out surveillance, transport samples and carry out other activities in the Covid response,” Dr Aceng said.
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