State of Abim Hospital Shocks Nations

Members on the Committee on Government Assurances were last weekend shocked by the poor state in which Abim Hospital is.

This was during the committee’s tour to the Karamoja sub region from Thursday 7th to Saturday 9th May 2015 to follow up on the different pledges made by the government.

The Acting Chief Administrative Officer of Abim district, Mr. Nelson Olwit, told the Committee that Abim Hospital didn’t have running water and was functioning without a medical doctor.

“Abim Hospital has for four years not had any running water; patients have had to fetch water from outside the hospital. Even during operations doctors use water that has been fetched by the medical staff,” Olwit said.

He added that because of the bad state in which the hospital is, the district had failed to attract any medical doctor, and is currently functioning without one.

The Committee Chairperson of Government Assurance, Hon. Wadri Kassiano, wondered how government could ignore such a hospital that serves the entire district.

“Abim Hospital was one of those that were put as a priority on the on-going rehabilitation process. Other hospitals constructed under the Obote Regime have since been rehabilitated but Abim Hospital has been left out,” Kassiano said.

The Committee was also informed by the District Police Commander, James Okabo, that Abim District does not have a resident Magistrate, which made it hard for the district to enforce law and order.

“Karamoja sub region has only one Chief Magistrate who resides in Moroto District, it is therefore difficult for the district to enforce law and order,” he said.

Among the unfulfilled pledges that came up during the committee tour was the coding of community schools that was promised by the Minister of Karamoja Affairs.

In the meeting with the district leadership of Kabong District, the Committee was informed by the District Chairperson LCV, Joseph Komoi, that it was hard for community schools to function because all the teachers on the government payroll teaching in these schools were ordered to stop teaching in the community schools.

“Our community schools teach over 4,000 pupils yet the teachers were given a directive by the Ministry of Education to stop teaching in community schools. We are therefore stranded as the district leadership,” the Chairperson said.

In a related event about the compensation of the cattle stolen from the protected kraals under the UPDF, the Committee noted that the compensation process had started in Kaabong district and so far the first payments had been made though the Kraals were still many compared to amount of compensation.

It was noted that the process was going on successfully in Napak District. The Committee also noted that government had delayed the tarmacking of the Abim, Lira and Kotido via Adwiri roads.