MBARARA– The Uganda Police administrators are in preparation to enter a Memorandum of Understanding with Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital (MRRH) to handle emergency cases of their cops in the Western region.
According to Martin Abilu, Commissioner of Police, emergency case response in Uganda Police service has been handled at the headquarters which they think can be regionalised to avoid inconsistencies in attending to the health matters of their officers.
“We are arranging to have a Memorandum of Understanding with Mbarara regional referral hospital to extend emergency services to police officers in western region. This arrangement has been in Kampala but because of the need and nature of work for these police officers,” Abilu said.
He says that with such arrangements, the police personnel don’t need to be rushed to Kampala for treatment.
“Mbarara hospital has all the necessary medical facilities to handle such emergencies so we encourage our police officers in case of any serious sickness or emergencies to come here for treatment where we have had an arrangement with hospital authorities to treat them and police headquarters will be able to foot all the hospital bills,” Abilu explained.
The Commissioner confirmed that Uganda’s helicopter system is still down to address such emergencies traveling long distances like to Kampala for treatment.
“Our helicopter systems are poor so we only rely on ground transport which is slow to attend to emergency cases from Kampala,” Abilu said.
He said the Inspector General of police is very supportive to the health insurance appealing to the referral administration to receive the partnership.
“We do not have to wait the partnership has immediately started because sickness does not wait we shall have to sign the MOU later,” Abilu said.
Some of the emergency cases include; injuries as a result of accidents, non-communicable diseases such as cancer among others.
People entitled for emergency services at Mbarara referral hospital include; serving police officers, spouses and their biological children in Rwizi region, Greater Bushenyi and Kigezi region.
Commissioner confirmed that the funds will be wired directly to the hospital account without paying individual police officers.
“In case the drugs are missing in the hospital and the police officer uses his money for treatment such police officer may claim refund for the money used to buy drugs during the course of treatment but the hospital will receive payment directly from the headquarters because we are not giving cash to individual police officers,” Abilu explained.
Dr. Celestine Barigye, Director MRRH welcomed the police partnership saying the hospital will care for police officers in a special way compared to the current situation where they are being treated like any other patients.
“We are looking forward to make sure that this MOU is signed and we shall put in more efforts to because we have been doing it though we have been treating police officers like any other humans,” Barigye said.
However, Dr Barigye appealed the government to reinstate the private emergencies to government hospitals which are quick to provide several medications to the emergency cases
“Emergency cases go with emergency medications so how would one access a drug missing in the government referral when all private pharmacies that were operating within the boundaries of the referral hospitals were closed. I think government should look into it,” said Barigye.
ASP Connie Akatukunda, the Rwizi regional human resource officer also embraced the ideal saying that police officers suffering from emergency diseases like cancer have been fearing to go for treatment because of costly hospital bills.
“Some of our officers have feared to go for treatment because of fear to foot exorbitant hospital bills but now that there is this police-hospital partnership, our police officers will always go for treatment of serious disease like cancer,” Akatukunda said.
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