Kiyunga Health Center IV Official Arrested Over Drug Theft
An official at Kiyunga Health Center IV has been suspended from work for allegedly being involved in acts of corruption and the theft of drugs meant for patients visiting the facility.
The official, Betty Kytolamye, a clinical officer, was relieved of her duties by the State House Health Monitoring Unit. According to the unit, more suspects, including the in-charge of the facility, are still at large.
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Officials from the State House Health Monitoring Unit spent time investigating officers running Kiyunga Health Center IV and other health centers in the district following public outcry about the operations of the facility.
As part of their investigation, they held a public meeting at the district headquarters to gather complaints from the public and local leaders regarding the services provided at the health facilities in the district.
The meeting, which was characterized by heated debate, revealed that locals were dissatisfied with the way Kiyunga Health Center IV was being run, citing poor services and extortion whenever they visited the facility.
Residents claimed that medical officers working at the hospital had private facilities around the hospital and often advised people to seek services like scans and X-rays from those units.
Alex Isabirye, one of the residents, told the unit during the gathering that whenever they went to the facility for drugs, they only found condoms but no essential medicines, such as Panadol.
Another resident, Martha Nakalema, told the gathering that health officers at Kiyunga charged between 300,000 Shs and 400,000 Shs whenever they went for surgery.
The acting District Health Officer in the area, Dr. Christopher Wandira, found it difficult to explain to the residents, who raised their voices whenever he tried to respond to their questions.
The Deputy Director of the State House Health Monitoring Unit, Dr. Julian Nabantazi, stated that their investigations found that the health officials at the facility were also using unsterilized equipment on patients, putting their lives at risk.
