By Keefa Nuwahereza
The Executive Director of Mulago Specialised National Referral Hospital, Dr. Byarugaba Baterana, has hailed doctors from the Uganda Peoples Defence Forces (UPDF) who spearheaded the fight against the deadly Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic .
Dr. Byarugaba, who released the medics after patients at Mulago Hospital dropped to zero, thanked the UPDF doctors for the selfless heart and patriotism exhibited why treating COVID-19 patients.
The medics have been part of a joint force of medical teams from Mulago Hospital, Makerere University, Infectious Disease Control Centre, and UPDF, at the front-line to defeat the pandemic in Uganda.
It should be noted that ever since COVID-19 broke out in Uganda on March 25, 2020, about 240 UPDF, police and prisons personnel have successfully served at Mulago Hospital since following a request by the hospital management to bolster operations in the fight against coronavirus.
Dr. Byarugaba revealed that out of the twenty three (23) COVID-19 patients admitted at Mulago National referral hospital, 21 have been since discharged while only two (2) remain admitted at the facility. Dr Byarugaba said the two will be discharged as soon as tomorrow.
“Thank you for being disciplined and for fighting the pandemic, we have together reduced COVID-19 to the minimum, disabled it and actually defeated it with a heavy blow. You can now be baptized as ‘COVID defeaters’ in this hospital and Medals of victory awaits you,” said Dr. Byarugaba.
He requested the UPDF leadership to consider deploying the team to other critical centers of National Referral including the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), Neurology, criminology and others to further the experience that they have acquired.
On behalf of the Force, the UPDF head of medical services Maj General Dr Ambrose Musinguzi, promised that the team from Mulago and others in UPDF will be sent out to assist District Task Forces in the fight against the pandemic.
He reminded Ugandans that it is UPDF’s constitutional mandate to support the civil authority in case of any catastrophe, and the COVID-19 pandemic is one of such.