KAMPALA – The Executive Director of Mulago National Referral Hospital Dr Byarugaba Baterana, has this on Monday, April 27 relived critical UPDF Doctors, Nurses and other experts of the supports rendered at the hospital in the fight against Covid-19. This comes as a result of the joint effort of medical teams from Mulago National Referral Hospital, Makerere University, Infectious Disease Control Centre And UPDF successfully disabling the pandemic.
It should be noted that the ministry of Health requested the UPDF leadership to support the ministry against the outbreak of Covid 19. Subsequently, on the 25th of Mar 2020 86, medics from UPDF were dispatched to different hospitals to boost the effort. Other security agencies like police, prisons also responded putting the number of security forces medics supporting the ministry to 240 personnel.
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. According to Dr Byarugaba the two will be discharged as soon as tomorrow.
Dr Byarugaba in a jovial mood thanked the UPDF medical team for working tirelessly with Mulago hospital to disable Covid 19. “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 19 defeaters’ in this hospital and medals of victory awaits you” Said the Executive Director. The head of Mulago requested that UPDF head of medical services should consider deploying the team in other critical centres of the National Referral hospital like Intensive Care Unit (ICU), Neurology, crimatology and others so that they can further their experience that they have acquired. He referred to Mulago National Referral Hospital as a “Supreme Court of Medicine” where any medical challenge can be defeated. Byarugaba called upon other countries to do a medical tourism to Mulago to learn more on how to defeat infectious diseases and other complications.
Dr Baterana warned that, those who thought he was a Joker at the beginning of the fight when he promised Ugandans that he will defeat Covid, now they know he is not “a Joking Subject”. He thanked his Excellence the President of The Republic of Uganda for leading the fight and guiding the country into a right direction as he has always done. On UPDF, the ED thanked President Museveni for building a mult talented and reliable Army that can be relied on whenever the country is challenged in anyway. “We are winning Covid 19 with minimal numbers because of the foresightedness of our president, congratulations to him and the entire country. He concluded.
Maj General Dr Ambrose Musinguzi the UPDF Chief of Medical services, while receiving the UPDF team at Mulago specialized Hospital Gates, reminded Ugandans that, it is UPDF’s constitutional mandate to support the civil authority in case of any catastrophe, and Covid 19 pandemic is one of such. He commended the foresightedness of the UPDF leadership for training the initial 86 UPDF medics and later sensitizing the strategic leadership on the fight against Covid 19 way back before the disease set a foot in Uganda. These would later turn into critical staff at different hospitals fighting the pandemic. On scaling down of UPDF Medics, Dr Musinguzi said that a skeleton of medical staff and security especially in areas of hygiene will be left at Mulago to assist. He thanked Mulago’s Dr Shade a hygiene specialist for re-training the UPDF Hygienists who now have better skills and have acquired more equipment to fight not only Covid 19 but any other infectious disease that may appear in future.
The UPDF chief promised that the team from Mulago and others in UPDF will now be sent out to assist District Task Forces in the fight against the pandemic.
Dr John Lusiba the UPDF Physician who headed the UPDF team at Mulago in his remarks thanked the UPDF, the Ministry of Health and Mulago leadership for giving the UPDF medics an opportunity to serve in the fight against Covid 19. “ It has not only been an opportunity to serve, but also a time to share experiences and learn from the most senior specialists that Uganda has at Mulago and from Makerere University. We learnt but also built civil military relations which are a strong pillar of the institution of UPDF. We are more than ready to fight Covid 19 than ever before” Dr Lusiba promised. He noted that all services of UPDF are represented on the medical team hence giving an opportunity of spreading the expertise across the country.
The Deputy Executive Director of Mulago National Referral Hospital and head of Clinics Dr Rosemary Byanyima expressed gratitude to the UPDF team for being disciplined and committed in their work. She called upon the clinicians at Mulago to take them as examples. Dr Rosemary observed that, because of discipline the entire team of; Physicians, medical officers, Laboratorians, nurses and clinicians worked harmoniously in case management and surveillance. She called on UPDF medical team to remain a call away in case of any more Upsurge of the pandemic.
The function was attended among others; the Principle Hospital Administrator Mr David Nuwamanya, UPDF Brig Dr James Kiyengo, ICU Specialist Dr Capt Timothy Muyimbo , general staff of Mulago National referral hospital among others.
