"The ministry wants to use this (infected Kenyan truck driver) as a case study to test and build our own regional capacity to handle Covid-19 cases." An official from the ministry of Health intimated to ENN.
One of the health workers treating the truck driver in Mbale town, while speaking in anonymity remained confident, they would work hard enough to help 'cure' their first coronavirus patient.
Health workers in Entebbe Grade B, Mulago and some regional hospitals across the country have seen their coronavirus patients return to community 'cured from Covid – 19.'
Dr. Emmanuel Ituuza Tugaineyo, director Mbale Regional Referral Hospital speaking to ENN moments ago, said though its true that this will help Mbale health workers build capacity in handling Covid – 19 cases, it will most importantly ensure that the patient’s life is saved irrespective of his nationality.
“What if this was a Uganda in another country, would we love to hear that he or she was denied treatment and deported back to Uganda?” Dr. Tugaineyo questioned those blaming government of bringing a Kenyan sick driver to Mbale.
The concerned hospital director also reasoned that the World health Organziation -WHO itself is against the movement of coronavirus patients from one point to another as this would further spread the virus to communities.
Prior to this case, Mbale and Eastern Uganda in entirety had never locally received or treated a single positive coronavirus patient.
The Mbale case becomes the first foreign truck driver to be treated in Uganda as all those who tested positive were being driven back to their respective countries.
Uganda currently has 89 confirmed cases of Covid – 19 while over 50 of them have ‘recovered’ and no deaths yet reported in the country.