In a move to curb Covid 19, former president of the Uganda Medical Association, Dr. Ekwaro has said that lockdown is not sustainable.
” Lockdown is not sustainable, we have to go back to the basics. The idea was to promote prevention and improve our ability to manage cases, in this case, we haven’t done well,” said Dr Ekwaro.
While on NBS TV, Dr. Ekwaro advised the government to instead expand on the testing of Covid 19, and also pay the salary walkers for medical workers who are on the front line.
He also advised the government which recently purchased a fleet of over 282 double cabin pickups in the Shs23.9bn COVID-19 response donation funds to return the cars and instead use the money to buy testing kits.
He said that in this crucial situation, ICU beds and ventilators are more important than the pickups the government purchased from Toyota uganda.
Dr. Ekwaro also said that there is a disconnect between the policy statements and policy actions on ground, adding that he doesn’t think the government has done well when it comes to case management.
” Patients were dying in lines awaiting medication. We can learn a lot about our health system by looking at the Covid 19 case management, many referral hospitals are not functional because there is no human resource there. This is what we are lacking majorly and explains the outcome,”he said.
Known for championing the medical doctors’ interests in the country,Dr. Ekwaro also said that money is a very important motivator to the health officers.
“Money is a very important motivator for these health officials. Many are dying in the line of duty but have they been compensated? If we pay them more, even the corruption in health facilities will reduce,” said Dr. Ekwaro