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Amuru, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Amuru District Taskforce has unveiled a 913.2 million shillings cholera response budget as the district grapples with an outbreak of the disease that has so far claimed five lives and infected over 200 people since early this month. The draft budget was presented on Tuesday during the district’s weekly task force meeting, held at Bibia Health Center III in Atiak Sub-county, one of the frontline health facilities struggling to handle the increasing number of cholera patients.
As of July 27, statistics from the district surveillance department indicate suspected cholera cases reported were 228, while cumulative probable cases tested using Rapid Diagnostic Test (RDT) kit were 205, and confirmed cases are 27. The cases are from Lorikor East village in Elegu Town Council at the Uganda-South Sudan border point. Charles Otain, the Amuru Chief Administrative Officer, noted that the draft budget was unveiled as a result of inadequate funds inadequacy adding that he thought it wise to involve their health partners in the district to bridge the gap.
Otai said they are hoping that if the funds are raised, it will help to finance key activities such as surveillance, risk management, case management, and addressing water and sanitation challenges at Elegu Town Council and Bibi Health Center, among others.
According to Otai, while some partners have come out to help, the draft plan will equally be shared with the Ministry of Health Permanent Secretary to help drum for more support in ensuring cholera transmission is curbed.
According to the draft budget breakdown, social mobilization will take the lion’s share of the budget at 206 million shillings, followed by case management at 142 million shillings and WASH initiatives at 136 million shillings. Meanwhile, surveillance will take up 124.4 million shillings, mental health and psychosocial support has a proposed budget of 111.3 million shillings, and Infection, prevention, and control (IPC) will take 82 million shillings.
Others are the district taskforce, coordinated budgeted at 56.7 million shillings, the district rapid response team at 42.1 million shillings, the Laboratory at 24.3 million shillings, risk communication at 13 million, logistics at 9.4 million shillings, and data management at 4.8 million shillings.
Robert Onekalit, the Amuru District Surveillance Focal Point person, said the budget will ably support the surveillance team in the procurement of a phone desk for alert and phones for village health teams to give alerts on suspected cases of cholera. According to Onekalit, other items they intend to procure are laptop computers with accessories, procurement of data and airtime, facilitation of the alert desk, and allowances for the alert desk team, among others.
Milton Steven Okello, the in-charge of Bibia Health Center III, however, expressed concern over the growing number of patients being admitted at the facility despite the limited space and staff to administer treatment. The facility, according to Okello, has treated over 200 cholera patients, with 11 current patients still undergoing treatment at the isolation ward. According to Okello, the isolation facility was only meant to admit two people, but currently takes in six people, while the general ward was only meant for 11 patients, but is now taking in all the cholera patients.
He noted that although the facility received some new staff, a total of eight now, they are inadequate given the fact that cholera patients require close monitoring, arguing that each patient at least requires a stationary health worker.
Amuru Resident District Commissioner Osborn Geoffrey Oceng, who also doubles as the head of the district taskforce, noted that their goal now is to focus on cutting off the transmission of the disease through zoning the hotspot areas.
During the task force meeting, the district leadership came up with a raft of recommendations aimed at curbing the transmission of cholera. Among them included the ban on roadside vending of food, arrest of defiant drug shop owners treating cholera patients, enforcement of the ban on open defecation, and use of shallow wells.
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