[Health]
News coming in from the ministry of health in Uganda stipulates that the country has run out of coronavirus testing kits owing to the ballooned out cases especially in the central region of the country. In the communique dated August 27, 2020, and signed by Mr. Geoffrey Seremba on behalf of Dr. Diana Atwine, the permanent secretary ministry of health- says that the ministry has used up all testing kits because of a huge number of individuals and companies—public and private—who have been seeking their staff to be tested for the disease that has ravaged the world since November last year.
“In view of the above fact therefore, the government has introduced a testing fee of US$66 or an equivalent of UGX240,50 per test for certain categories of individuals and organizations. This is a cost recovery mechanism that will enable the ministry of Health to acquire more test kits for continued access to testing services in the country,” according to the Ministry’s statement.
The required money is payable only to Stanbic bank Uganda under the account name MOH COVID-19 TESTING FUNDS, and account number 9030017657983.
The news has sparked public outrage on social and mainstream media with a lot of commentaries from concerned citizens most of whom wonder where the huge sums of donations in billions of shillings and loans amounting to trillions of Ugandan shillings parliament approved went. Others are discombobulated, concerned that the country’s poverty-stricken population could just forgo the test and live with the virus and thus increase the scourge.
“If Ugandans are shunning a simple HIV test which costs as low as a dollar, why would the ministry foolishly think that we will pay $66 for a coronavirus test?” asked Agatha on twitter.
Uganda presently has over 3,000 cases and 32 deaths according to Worldometer.
