MBARARA, July 24, 2024 – Two health workers at Bwizibwera Health Centre in Bwizibwera–Rutooma Town Council in Mbarara district were recently arrested, and charged for allegedly stealing government drugs worth Shs 12 million from the facility’s drug store.
This happened at a time when the government’s health facilities are grappling with drug stock-outs.
Emmy Kateera Turyabagyenyi, Resident District Commissioner [RDC] Mbarara confirmed the suspects as Florence Tumwijukye, and Edward Kiyingi. “We have two suspects in custody, one being Tumwijukye Florence who is in charge of drug stores, and Edward Kiyingi, a drug dispenser,” he said.
According to Turyabagyenyi, the arrest of the two health officials followed the receipt of a letter from the Ministry of Health in Kampala, questioning the rapid shortfall in the accountability of the drugs delivered from the financial years 2021/2022, and 2022/2023.
He said the letter from the ministry indicated that only 50 percent of the drugs that were delivered during the two financial years were accounted for.
“From the notification document [letter], only 50 percent of the drugs delivered to the health centre were accounted for and therefore they want to know where the rest of the drugs went,” he said.
He added: “Immediately I convened a district security committee meeting whereby we incorporated in the district health officer and the chief administrative officer to narrate the sequence on how the drugs were delivered and distributed.”
And it is from this background that the duo were arrested by police for causing financial loss to the government medical stores totaling to over Shs 12mln.
Kateera said the two suspects forged the signature, and stamp of the District Health Officer [DHO]to aid them in stealing of the drugs.
According to preliminary investigations, Tumwijukye was found to have created ghost health facilities which she claimed received the drug supplies.
“When the police swung into action, it was found out that one Tumwijukye Florence who has been the in charge of stores at Bwizibwera Health Centre IV, has been forging the official stamp of the DHO and signatures of Assistant DHOs requisitioning many drugs and even distributing them to non-existing health facilities,” he said.
Some of the alleged health facilities that Tumwijukye claimed received the drugs include; Rukiri Health Centre II and Rushabya Health Centre II.
“We also found out that the people purported to have received the drugs are non-existent in those health centres. For example, Bukiro and Rubindi health Centres where she claimed that a patient identified as Michael Tumwesigye received those drugs but upon investigations we found out that Michael Tumwesigye died long time ago meaning that Tumwijukye was stealing drugs using names of the deceased people,” Kateera explained.
The suspects would later be charged with theft of government stores, forgery, uttering false documents among others.
RDC Kateera pledged to intensify the mandate of monitoring government programs including delivery of government drugs in health facilities among others.
He added that, “We are going to expand our investigations in the district to find out whether there could be other health workers using forged documents to steal the medicine delivered by the government.”
He also warned all civil servants in the district to exhibit professional ethics. “All government employees are expected to adhere to the ethics of professionalism and commitment to service delivery for the benefit of the people they are employed to serve. As the chief monitor of government programmes in Mbarara district, I am committed and I will keep arresting all those civil servants that are named in corruption tendencies,” noted Kateera.
On his part, Didas Tabaro, Mbarara district LCV Chairman also confirmed the arrest of the two district health officials over the disappearance of government drugs.
He urged the public to be vigilant and always report any health worker found double dealing government drugs. “I request the public to always come out and report such people. Let us join hands to fight the vice of stealing government drugs because if we don’t, we will be the same people buying the same drugs from private clinics and pharmacies,” said Tabaro.
https://thecooperator.news/21-arrested-over-illegal-sale-of-drugs-in-shift-markets/
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