Buvuma district and Kkoome islands on Tuesday received the specialized boat ambulances promised by President Yoweri Museveni in the last presidential campaigns.
The boats are equipped with necessary gadgets including ventilators, surgical and first aid equipment to save life.
However, even as they received them, district leaders still appealed to the government to upgrade health facilities on the islands to bring nearer services to people.
Buvuma District LC5 Chairperson, Adrian Ddungu Wasswa says much as the district has received the ambulance, it still it lacks an ambulance on the mainland specifically at Kiyindi landing site to complete the journey to the targeted referrals.
According to Wasswa, once the government elevates the current facility from health center IV to a general hospital, several benefits will come along. Buvuma HCIV makes referrals to Jinja and Kawolo hospital.
The District Health Officer, Dr. Barker Kanyike says an elevation of the current district facility to a general hospital will pave space for elevation of other facilities at the scattered islands.
Dr. Kanyike notes that scattered islands have always been challenged to make referrals to the mainland, especially pregnant mothers requiring surgeries. He notes that with the current boat ambulances referrals will be eased however if their facilities are also elevated HCIV, they can as well handle simple surgeries.
At Koome islands in Mukono district, the boat ambulance will support referrals to Mukono general hospital and to Entebbe referral hospital. Dr. Stephen Mulindwa, the District Health Officer says the biggest facility on Koome is at the level of HCIII and lacks a medical officer to perform surgeries especially for mothers who fail to deliver normally.
Maria Nkalubo, an officer from the Ministry of Health under the emergency department, says the government understands the challenges some of the hard-to-reach areas are facing and is focused on working on them gradually.
She notes that for the meantime the island communities should ensure the safety and good condition of the ambulance boats purchased by the government to assist them during emergency hours.
Meanwhile, residents are grateful for the boat ambulance saying at least it would help to ease transport from especially the scattered islands to the main islands where the bigger health facilities are located.
Jane Namuddu, a resident at Ggonve in Koome Sub County says pregnant mothers with complications have been finding it hard to travel on open passenger boats to health facilities. She notes that conditions have always worsened when they are given referrals to the mainland.
The boat ambulances are among the 14 boats procured in February 2021, to provide emergency services on the islands. They have since been stationed at the Entebbe Marine Base on Lake Victoria.
The boats were procured with funding under the supplementary Covid-19 fund, as well as funding from the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria, the Vaccine Alliance (GAVI) and UNICEF each at 580 million Shillings. URN
