It is very unfortunate that so many people are losing their lives due to COVID 19 and other ailments. Death seems a new normal. Ugandans are not safe. Each day one is alive, one wonders who is going next. It is a very stressful and hopeless situation. In the current circumstances one would imagine that peoples’ health would be the number one priority.
It is disheartening to note that citizens’ health is not taken as a priority. One may be compelled to think that the leaders seem to be merely sounding caring when addressing the nation but in reality not doing so. For instance, a lot of money was collected and property donated in the name of addressing the COVID challenge in the country. Where is it or what did it do. Vehicles were donated for COVID 19 work but where are they and what are they doing? Information yet to be verified has it that some individuals have personalized the vehicles and even transferred them into their personal names. It is also alleged that some high rise buildings cropping up in various parts of the country, belonging to some individuals, could be associated with this money. Where are the leaders in this? Do they truly care?
Also, there was money allocated by parliament through the popular supplementary budgets, for the purpose of addressing COVID 19 matters but whatever that money did, satan knows but for sure, there was no value for money. If this is the citizens’ perception, where is the care?
Furthermore, the media has severally published matters concerning a contract given some members of the first family and that of the former Hon. Minister of Foreign affairs and other highly placed government officials to procure and deliver medical equipment to the country, which I believe, could be very relevant and essential at this moment but there are rumors of gaps in the delivery of the contract. This I believe is partly responsible for the current uncontrolled death of the people on this country. Conflict of interest, Nepotism, lack of accountability and fears / lack of capacity to reprimand the unqualified contractor have turned out disastrous. I am sure the leaders have heard the voices about this matter and whistle blowers have indeed blown the whistles. Has any investigation been done? Don’t citizens deserve to know what the status is? Do the leaders care enough?
The lack of commitment to ensure that the right to health is given the deserved attention is seen through the 2021/22 budget which did not regard health in the current circumstances a priority but building roads in the DRC, increasing administration costs with increased number of political leaders and defense. The media once reported that a bush war leader was heard saying that when they came to power the population was 12 million and that it did matter if it fell back that level. My understanding of this statement was that losing Ugandans was okay for as long as he remained in that powerful position.
COVID-treatment has become very costly and the government seems to be looking on while the private hospitals are looting the citizens money and property for failure to pay medical bills. Land tiltles, I understand are being deposited as with the hospitals as securities for failure to pay the bills in time. Sanity needs to return to this country and the leaders should be seen to be taking leadership in this matter. I recently read from the media that some medical facilities charge shs. 5,000,000 or more for treatment of a Covid-19 patient per day. I have also heard of bills of shs 80 million, shs, 130 million and shs. 172 million being given to some families for treating their patients. Our leaders are yet to say something more concrete about this. I also understand picking a dead of a covid-19 patient from Mulago mortuary one needs not less than 1.5 million shillings. This is madness. Do the leaders care?
Economists will say that where the demand is high, the prices rise which is normal but very unfortunate in this case. The planning department of the ministry of health and the COVID 19 task force should have seen this coming. The funds directed towards the COVID-19 challenge should have been properly directed to the cause and not diverted to other things as it appears to have been done. This kind of incompetence and disregard of people’s critical needs is unbelievable. The right to life is being taken lightly and being violated. The right to good health is being abused. What does silence over these matters mean?
COVID testing seems to be a money generating project. Flying out of the country these days requires one to undertake a CPR COVID-19 test, which in the current global circumstances is okay but the cost, oh my God! The various private testing centres which provide this service have made it a looting spree, a robbery. The charges for a CPR test in these centres range from shs 250,000= to over shs 500,000= per test which valid for 72 / 120 hours only. This also applies to citizens returning to the country as well from certain countries.
Though not well conversant with the pricing of the service, I feel that shs 250,000 or USD 65 for the cheapest CPR test is too high. This is robbery. Subjecting this cost to returning citizens is also not fair; why not provide a free service to them. Entebbe Hospital provides the test free. Why entrust such a service to the private sector? Why not set up a government run facility to handle returning citizens? Could it be that some individuals in the leadership are beneficiaries to this daylight robbery? Why can’t this matter be investigated?
In addition to the high costs of testing, those returning in the country from some countries are subjected to an inhuman treatment by being forced to be tested yet they come in with certificates with negative results from the countries where their travels begin. They are treated indecently on arrival at the airport.
Security personnel escort and direct them to a bus which drops them off to a COVOD-19 test centre. At a popular testing center close to a beach near Entebbe Airport, when one enters the test premises one spends not less than 5 hours waiting for results. During the waiting period, no meals or refreshments are provided. One is expected to pay for the meals which are very highly priced. It would be prudent for US 65 or whatever is charged to include hospitality expenses. If the traveler has a private car pick him or her, the car is charged shs 5000= for parking in the premises.
The treatment given to the already tired travellers is quite depressing. At the said test centre, the gates become inaccessible with fierce looking UPDF security personnel guarding them and not allowing anyone to get out. It is the travellers have committed an offence!
Of great concern to some citizens is how the different variants from India, UK, and South Africa etc get admission to the country when there is a provision for testing those who arrive from the badly affected countries. Unconfirmed sources claim that many travellers from India corrupted their way into the country skipping the test with a bribe of 200 USD per person. If this is so, then the community should be blamed less for the current covid-19 situation in the country but those who let in the new variants.
It is time for the leaders of this country to understand that the painful psychological, physical and economic loses being experienced by the people of this country, the ugly state of the health sector and high levels poverty that the country has been plunged into, is their sole responsibility. It is their duty to provide a lasting solution to the current status in the country without jeopardizing people’s freedoms and rights.
Money, roads, war equipment, tear gas and others can never be better than life. Let the lives of the citizens be a priority. What is key now is to fix the fragile medical/health situation. No life is worthless. Every life matters and needs to be protected and saved from death.
John Mary Odoy
Senior citizen and an advocate for Human Rights and Good governance.
Tel: 0782457990
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