UGANDA PLANNING TO SET UP REGIONAL AMBULANCE SYSTEM
By our reporter.
The acting director for general health services at the health ministry, Dr. Olaro Charlesreveals plans by govt to set up a uniform but robust emergency health services system in all the regions of the country as a way to improve emergency services in the health system.
Speaking to the acting director on the matter, he was free to reveal that regions considered in the fast phase include, Rwenzori, Masaka, Soroti, Arua, Gulu with others to be included after this phase. Dr. Olaro notes that the regional system will be well inter connected with a single center control station to keep updated with the happenings in the whole country for better, swift and effective service delivery.
The system will be facilitated with well trained skilled personnel to handle all kinds of emergencies.
He further says that they are now going to procure two advance life support ambulances that will be stationed at Mulago national referral hospital with these ambulances to carry specialized emergency evacuation since they will be having all the necessary modern equipment needed to save a life on the way to a major health facility.
However, the executive director Uganda heart institute Mulago Dr. John Omangino says the proposed ambulance system should also have modern air ambulances that can handle all complications, since that time is very delicate and referred to as Gold time to some one’s life.
Omangino says that such ambulances can help airlift patients in mountainous, flood areas among other hard to reach areas in the country.
The under secretary ministry of health Segawa Ronald notes that the ministry is planning to have the ambulance services fully set up in the country as a means of attaining the mission of providing quality health services to ugandans.
Currently Uganda has 400 ambulances running across all regions both private and public of which 180 are govt owned and manned. All these in place and the national health insurance scheme put in place they will be under a single control system to offer better and quality services to ugandans. Says Dr. Olaro.
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