By Vision reporter

PRESIDENT Yoweri Museveni has advised medical personnel in Uganda to supervise activities in their health outlets and ensure proper accountability of drugs in hospitals by keeping records.

Museveni was yesterday closing a one-day review meeting organised by the Medicines and Health Services Monitoring Unit which is investigating the theft of drugs from government hospitals.

The unit is led by Dr. Diana Atwine and her deputy Dr. Achiro Hope Fortunate.
The President gave out awards to 12 medical personnel, whose performance in the health sector has been exemplary.

He said the awards will be an annual event to recognise the services of health workers. He congratulated them for being steadfast and honest.

The awards went to Dr. Florence Tugumusirize of Masaka Hospital, Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng of Lira hospital, Dr. Tony Tumwesigye of Kisiizi Mission Hospital, and Dr. Cyprian Opira of Lacor Hospital.

Others were Dr. Kitunzi Kasujja of Hoima Hospital, and Dr. John Mark Kasumba of Mulago Hospital, Dr. Jacqueline Mabweijano of Mulago Hospital, Fredrick Ssebina, a nursing assistant of Nyanja Health Centre II in Mukono district and nursing assistant Chandiru Eunice of Vurra Health Centre II in Arua district.

According to a press release from State House, Museveni said: “Lack of supervision, control mechanisms and proper keeping of records fuels theft of drugs.”

He said theft of drugs started from the colonial days, but when the NRM came to power in 1986, the Government attempted to curb the vice by electing officials to oversee operations in hospitals.

Museveni advised the medics to ensure that there is a system of strict accountability, control of drugs and supervision to avoid having government drugs ending up in private clinics and neighbouring countries.

“What we need is change of attitude among the medical staff. I want a system of carbonated copies, one for the medical assistant, for the pharmacist, for the patient and one copy should remain at the district. All those records must be shared,” he stressed.

On the control of diseases, the President advised the medical personnel to embrace the cliché of “Prevention is Better than Cure”.

He called on them to work with the local governments in areas of hygiene and sanitation by having pit latrines in their communities.

“It is a strategy to deal with diseases that can be eliminated without the need of funds. Look for cost effective ways of eliminating these diseases instead of maintaining them so that we keep on injecting money that is often stolen,” Museveni said.

He added that water-borne diseases and malaria could be controlled in the same way.