UGANDA– Thanks to the Government of Japan, the Ministry of Health (MoH) Uganda, the Department of Emergency Medical Services has received 25 type B ambulances.
The facilitation will help improve emergency response to patients with life-threatening medical conditions at the community level.
During the handover ceremony that took place at the headquarters of MoH, Kampala, the Minister for Health, Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng Ocero applauded the Government of Japan for supplying Uganda with ambulance vehicles that meet both national and international standards.
“The ambulances will be distributed to 25 constituencies in the country, and we will conclude the distribution as soon as the distribution list is approved,” said Dr. Aceng.
Dr. Aceng explained that the ambulances are stationed on major highways and are commanded by the Emergency Medical Services command centers that are present in the Regional Referral Hospitals.
She said the country has 135 ambulances that meet the standards and are distributed within the country with 80 of them in the constituencies and 55 at Referral Hospitals.
The Ambassador of Japan to Uganda Amb. Hidemoto Fukuzawa said the ambulances are part of Japan’s aid for social and economic programs.
“The role played by emergency vehicles such as ambulances in quality health service delivery cannot be over-emphasized. The procurement aims at strengthening the emergency obstetric referral system including support to the operations of ambulance services. I must therefore congratulate Dr. Otieno and her team for observing the project timeline in procuring the ambulances,” said H.E. Hidemoto.
Mr. Hidemoto Fukuzawa explained that the project is aimed at addressing healthcare needs through the provision of medical care equipment and helping to strengthen public health and the medical system.
“Training and other necessary services like maintenance are also provided within the project. Highly functional equipment requires good maintenance, I believe the Ministry of Health staff at the hospital level are aware of it,” Amb. Fukuzawa reiterated.
According to the Emergency Medical Services policy, the ambulances are given per constituency not per facility and this helps ensure the ambulances serve a population of 100,000 people.
A reliable partner in Uganda’s health system
The Government of Japan in 2021 extended an emergency aid grant worth US$1,640,442 to Uganda to boost the country’s COVID-19 response.
The assistance channeled through the United Nations Children’s Fund – UNICEF provided Uganda with cold chain equipment including medical equipment such as cold-storage facilities and transportation, as “Last One Mile Support” to ensure vaccination in the country.
Uganda is among 31 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean and Africa that have benefited from a US$39 million Japanese Government emergency aid extended to countries suffering from the impact of Novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19).
Japan also contributed to formulating the African COVAX Facility, an international mechanism for the procurement of vaccines, and has already made a financial contribution of US$200 million.
Japan’s emergency aid grant this time around aims to deliver vaccines to each and every person in all corners of developing countries, which will complement the efforts of the COVAX Facility.
The funds were used to procure solar direct drive vaccine refrigerators (106), cold boxes (190), vaccine carriers (2,200), and generators (10) and support cold chain repairs and maintenance.
The Government of Japan’s timely assistance went a long way to support the Government of Uganda’s COVID-19 vaccination efforts and ensure that all the vaccines received in the initial phase from the COVAX facility, and the Government of Uganda are fully used in time.
For all the latest healthcare industry news from Africa and the World, subscribe to our NEWSLETTER, and YouTube Channel, follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn, and like us on Facebook.
