Dokolo to upgrade health unit

In an attempt to reduce malaria prevalence and intensify treatment, Dokolo district is to upgrade Kachung Health Centre II to a health unit which will provide treatment for common ailments and delivery of mothers.

The health unit is set to be upgraded to health centre III and deploy more health workers including conducting deliveries and general treatment will be conducted in the facilities.

The district is adding more structures in the health units to accommodate staff and non-staff.

At the moment the rate of malaria prevalence and cases in the health facility stands at 53 percent. The area has a population of 5,840 and it also services the communities as far as Kwera located 10km, Nambieso in Apac and Adok sub counties.

The district LC5 chairman, Fredrick Odongo said they resolved in the council meeting that also Agwata Health Centre should be upgraded to a district hospital for effective services because it has vast land.

Touring the new structure at Kachung on Wednesday, Odongo said for proper development to take root, the communities should be healthy and be able to access government services easily without any hindrance.

The structure worth sh96m is a twin house which will accommodate two health workers and the district will add more in the coming financial year.

"As a district we are struggling to put the district on the map where people access health services easily, improve performance in schools both in primary and secondary," Odongo added.

The government, Odongo said, distributed long lasting insecticide treated mosquito nets to fight malaria and last year`s indoor residual spraying also helped but the burden is still there.  

Ruth Akello, a health worker at the facility said there are only two and will be of advantage if the district upgrades the unit.

"It will help us a lot because we shall have more staff," she said.