Arua: Assistant CAO, Hospital Director Bitterly Quarrel Over Death of COVID-19 Patient

There was a heated exchange between the Assistant Arua Chief Administrative Officer-ACAO, Sandra Ewacabo and Director Arua Regional Referral Hospital, Dr. Filbert Nyeko on Thursday over the death of her uncle who was being treated for COVID-19.

Speaking during the COVID-19 Taskforce meeting at the district headquarters, Ewacabo tasked Dr. Filbert Nyeko to explain why patients continue dying at the hospital due to lack of Oxygen even after fixing the power problem last week. 

She told the meeting that she woke up to the sad news of the death of her uncle who was on oxygen at the hospital but succumbed at 2:00 am resulting from a power outage.

The RDC’s outburst came after the death of five COVID-19 patients in a spate of two days because of the power outage, which made the generation and supply of Oxygen difficult.

Ewacabo said there is continued negligence among health workers at the hospital, which needs to be addressed.

In his response, Dr. Filbert Nyeko, the Director of Arua Regional Referral Hospital said it was unfair for the ACAO to misrepresent the issues in the hospital, saying every institution has its own challenge.  

Speaking on behalf of the District staff and Taskforce, Alfred Okuonzi, the Arua LC V Chairperson, said that the issues raised by the ACAO shouldn’t be treated as her own.   

The Arua Regional Referral Hospital COVID-19 Treatment Unit is currently managing 25 positive cases, one of them in critical condition. Seven cases are severe while 17 are mild.

Nine cases were referred to Mulago National Referral Hospital; two ran away from the unit.

Cumulatively, 34 people have died, 273 discharged and over 280 are under home-based care.