Members of Parliament on the Parliament Covid-19 Taskforce want the government to change the Covid-19 treatment protocols at health centre IVs.
This followed revelations by the Kibuku District Health Officer, Godfrey Buyinza that the drugs used in the treatment of Covid-19 are not in the ministry’s line of essential drugs. He added that those drugs cannot be supplied by National Medical stores to the Health Centre IVs.
“National Medical Stores has not been supplying vitamin C and Vitamin D because they are not on the essential drugs list for the treatment of Covid-19 yet they are so useful,” Dr. Buyinza said.
He added that other drugs like azithromycin, zinc and chloroquine are supplied inadequately and rarely.
Timothy Batuwa (FDC Jinja West) said that in order for government to manage the Covid-19 crisis, it ought to make available medicines that are essential in the treatment of the disease.
“Most of the people exhibiting mild symptoms are sent home and it is likely that they don’t have money to purchase the medicines. Government should avail these medicines to save the people,” he said.
Government put up a policy that all mild and asymptomatic patients should be managed under the home based care system.
West Budama South MP, Emmanuel Otaala said that government should strengthen referral systems at health centre IVs.
“We have found that in Kibuku, there is no ambulance to use to refer Covid-19 patients. In cases of severe patients, they are put behind in a pickup and transported to Mbale which sometimes results in loss of life,” Otaala said.
Otaala added that the health centre does not have adequate oxygen to facilitate treatment of the patients.
The health facility has only two oxygen cylinders.
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