Kole North MP Acuti donates three ambulances worth Shs 300m
KOLE – Kole North MP, Dr Samuel Opio Acuti has donated three ambulances worth Shs 300m to ease referrals, transportation of patients, emergency cases and access to maternal services to expectant mothers.
This was after 2021 statistics indicated that 247 lost their lives out of which, 100 were from causes that could have been prevented such as accident victims, pregnant mothers, severe malaria and food poisoning.
“These factors drove me to strengthen these emergency services as a mechanism to minimize these preventable deaths,” he says.
Kole had only one ambulance offered by the Ministry of Health besides the one offered by the district Woman MP, Judith Alyek and Kole South MP, Peter Ocen. This means the district now has five ambulances to help in emergency cases.
The district carved out of Apac ten years ago and has 171 health workers serving a population of more than 240,000. It has 10 public health facilities which include Aboke, Bala, Alito, Ayer, Okwerodot, Opeta, Bung among others.
Handing over the ambulances to communities at Aboke sub-county, MP Acuti said the emergency trucks will each be stationed at Okwerodot, Aboke and Alito sub-counties.
He said the donation was also in fulfillment of his campaign manifesto after realizing challenges facing the health services sector like timely referrals.
“It’s the first of its kind for an MP to donate 3 ambulances in Uganda and this has excited communities,” says Dr Acuti who has a Masters of Science Degree in Pharmacology.
The Aboke LC3 Chairperson Cana Bonney welcomed the development and advised people who will be tasked with the responsibility of managing not to consider anyone’s political affiliation.
He hinted that there is a shortage of staff accommodation in most of the health facilities in the area and understaffing which many times hampers service delivery.
While responding to Cana’s concern, Dr Acuti says, he was lobbying for the upgrading of Aboke Health Unit to a district hospital.
“We are looking at accessibility because the stretch to the end of my constituency is 30km and my target was that there should be an ambulance at the radius of 10km,” he says.
He said it was a joint partnership between the community, local leadership and his office to address these health challenges.
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