The Ministry of Health in Uganda has launched a new Ebola treatment and isolation centre at Mulago hospital that was constructed by partner states and international agencies such as Unicef and World Health Organisation (WHO).
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According to the Minister of Health, Dr Jane Ruth Aceng, the semi-permanent facility that was constructed at Mulago playground will help build resilience in the fight against the outbreak of any infectious disease.
Aceng said whereas there is a drop in the number of Ebola cases, there is a need to have standby mechanisms.
“The facility is not constructed for use during the current Ebola crisis only, it will also be used as a training unit for health workers on how to handle emergency outbreaks. With guidance from WHO, we hope that the facility will become a training facility for the East African region,” she said during the commissioning at Mulago playground.
The new facility becomes the seventh Ebola treatment unit in the country, where three are in Mubende, one in Kassanda, one in Entebbe and now two in Mulago, all with a capacity of 356 beds. The facility has a capacity of 56 beds, and intensive care units.
The incident manager at WHO, Charles Njuguna, said it is very important to build resilience in the fight against emergency outbreaks.
“Crisis outbreaks can be very easy to handle if the government prepares for their management in advance. I want to applaud the government and all partners for this milestone,” Njuguna said.
According to the data by the Ministry of Health, as of Friday, Uganda had 142 confirmed Ebola cases, 86 discharged and 56 deaths.
Daily Monitor also learnt that no new cases have been registered for the last 11 days and according to Aceng, the government may lift the ban on movements in Mubende and Kassanda after the ongoing 21 days of restricted movement that will end on December 17. ■
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