The debts accrued between June and August following the supply of essential goods and services like foods, beddings and sanitizers among others to COVID-19 patients at the treatment unit and those in Gulu College School of Health Sciences institutional quarantined facility.
Gulu Regional Referral Hospital is choking on a 240 million Shillings debt, posing a threat to management of COVID-19.
The debts accrued between June and August following the supply of essential services goods that include foods, beddings and sanitizers among others to COVID-19 patients at the treatment unit and those in the quarantine centre at Gulu College School of Health Sciences.
Bishop Loum Janani, the regional in-charge of integrated surveillance and case management at the referral says the supplier, issued the hospital with a 14 days ultimatum that ended last month to suspend further deliveries to the hospital.
The District Health Officer, Yoweri Idiba says that the Task Force is facing huge financial challenges due to delayed government releases. He cited incidences of patients at the treatment unit and suspects in institutional quarantine centre missing meals
Maj. Santo Okot Lapolo, the Resident District Commissioner says they have approached the National Task Force and Ministry of Health but are yet to respond. He added that several development partners in the region have also reduced their funding.
Health workers attached to the treatment centre at the referral facility and Gulu Central Prison where up to 153 inmates from Amuru District are being treated from have not yet received their allowances since June.
Earlier in June, Gulu COVID-19 Task Force presented 500 million shillings budget to the government and development partners to supplement the 165 million shillings from the Ministry of Finance but it was never financed.
So far, the Gulu Regional Referral Hospital treatment Centre has recorded a cumulative of 400 confirmed COVID-19 patients since April and 188 total recoveries. However, the facility currently has up to 220 active patients still undergoing treatment.
