Health Ministry rubbishes reports of red flags raised in Covid-19 supplies

The Ministry of Health has described as untrue, the reports that the Ministry of Finance has raised a red flag in the budget to procure COVID-19 supplies to various parts of the country.

The ministry response plan had a budget estimate of shs 2.2 trillion for a period of 18 months but in an article recently, it was reported that the Ministry of Finance had queried the budget.

However, in a statement released on Monday, the health ministry noted that the report in the media was based on an alleged draft report “whose content had not been received and discussed by the ministry.

“The Ministry further objects the manner in which the monitoring was conducted. We have since established that the team came to the Ministry and hurriedly interacted with two officers obtaining partial information without interfacing with key informants. This is unacceptable and the ministry management has already registered a protest with the Permanent Secretary and Secretary to the Treasury, Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development,” the statement said.

Dismissing the reports of receiving shs766 billion towards Covid-19 response, the ministry said the actual amount received was shs119 billion as a supplementary budget and that the rest were off-budget commitments and expenditures by partner organizations which are expected to be spent over the 18-month period.

On procurement of facemasks, the ministry said contrary to the report, they had procured the personal protective gear at a price lower than the market price.

“It is therefore disturbing that the author of the report did not clarify the type of masks that were referred to. For the avoidance of doubt, the average market prices for N95 is shs5000 and the Ministry of health bought it at shs 4,946 lower than the market price. This price is much cheaper than what the global market offers at shs 10,000 for the same mask.”

The ministry however asked members of the public to stay calm and not to be enraged by the “un-researched” and “diversionary” reporting.

We shall continue providing our services diligently, committedly and professionally to keep all Ugandans safe and healthy. All the information concerning COVID-19 response activities is available at the Ministry of Health and can be provided on request.”