Keywords
Citation
(2013), "Uganda - Minister says govt to lease health equipment", International Journal of Health Care Quality Assurance, Vol. 26 No. 4. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJHCQA.06226daa.015
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Uganda - Minister says govt to lease health equipment
Article Type: News and views From: International Journal of Health Care Quality Assurance, Volume 26, Issue 4
Keywords: Health service delivery and medical maintenance, Leasing medical health equipment in public hospitals, Improving healthcare access in Uganda
Uganda Minister of Health, Christine Ondoa has said the government plans to lease out X-ray and scanning machines in the public hospitals to private investors because they have become too expensive to maintain.
Dr Ondoa was addressing health staff of Kabale Regional Referral Hospital in Kabale Town where she explained that once such expensive and sophisticated health equipment were leased out, proper health service delivery would be expected.
“Government has a plan of leasing out all its sophisticated health equipment such as the X-ray and scanning machines. Once such machines are leased out, the patients shall be required to pay some little money to access such services and that money will be used to maintain and have them properly serviced, Dr Ondoa said.
Dr Ondoas revelation came shortly after the director of Kabale Regional Referral Hospital, Dr Placid Mihayo, said his hospital had had no scanning machine for pregnant mothers for more than a year, and mothers have always been advised to access the service from the private providers.
Dr Mihayo said there was need to purchase a new scanning machine because the cost of repairing the old, damaged one was almost half the cost of a new one.
“Our scanning machine broke down almost one year ago and our health workers have been finding it difficult to work on pregnant mothers, Dr Mihayo said, adding that they need a new one.
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