Kamwenge, Lamwo districts receive ambulances

The government through the health ministry has received two ambulances and an assortment of equipment and supplies from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), with funding from the Embassy of Japan and the Netherlands in Uganda. 

The health minister, Jane Ruth Aceng, said the package will support interventions to advance sexual reproductive health and rights.
 
The two ambulances worth sh481m were procured with funding from the embassy of Japan in Uganda to support Palabek Kal Health Center III in Lamwo district and Rukunyu Hospital in Kamwenge district. 

This is in addition to one ambulance that was handed over to the ministry early this year, with funding from UNFPA core resources to support Lalogi Health Center IV in Omoro district.
 
"The ambulances will be part of National Ambulance fleet and will be used for emergency response and referral, with focus on high burden disease conditions like maternal child health conditions, road accident injuries, and general inter-facility transfer," Aceng said adding: "they will be part of regionally coordinated ambulance service, and in this case, they will, however, be part of Gulu and Fort Portal regional referral hospital's fleet."

Minister Aceng noted that the day-to-day operations of the ambulances will be funded through the National Ambulance Service Fund, results-based financing, primary health care funds and locally generated resources.
 
According to Hidemoto Fukuzawa, the ambassador of Japan to Uganda, ambulances play a big role in quality health service delivery. 

He, therefore, noted that the procurement aims at strengthening the emergency obstetric referral system which he said includes support for the operations of ambulance services in refugee settlements and host communities in western and northern Uganda.
 
"The procurement of the two ambulances is another step in the Japan-Uganda relations and our journey to provide improved health services to the most vulnerable people in Uganda," Fukuzawa said during the handing over of ambulances to the health minister.
 
The equipment assortments that included ambulances, 90 computers, 90 printers and 90 internet devices will strengthen the electronic logistics management information systems which have been rolled out by the health ministry.

District Health Officer (DHO) of Kamwenge district William Muwanguzi on receiving the facilities lauded the embassy of the Netherlands and UNFPA Uganda for prioritizing their region.
 
"The ambulance and computer assortments shall be of great help in enhancing services to the people. We are grateful," said Muwanguzi.