Kayunga Regional Referral Hospital Medical Director, Dr. Robert Ssentongo together with the facility’s Biomedical Engineer, Phillip Ddungu are under trouble over missing medical equipment.
The officials are allegedly accused of masterminding the security bleach or shielding people behind the matter creating suspicion of their involvement.
Two weeks back, some of the stolen medical appliances were intercepted by police in a van heading to Jinja.
The Ssezibwa Regional Police Spokesperson, Hellen Butoto noted that several officials were summoned for interrogation.
The equipment include among others a biomedical engineering tool kit, sanitary plumbing appliances, brazing touch, map gas, hand drill, charging valve, electric blower and a vacuum pump.
“Theft of the equipment is a big setback to this facility because most of what was stolen are vital in the maintenance of the machinery that breaks down.” Butoto noted.
This Insight Post reliably learned that police surrounded off offices of Dr. Ssentongo and Eng. Ddungu two days after the interception of the equipment but their arrest was blocked by the State Minister for Finance, Amos Lugoloobi.
In his recent visit to the facility, Lugoloobi noted that few equipment were stolen and does not require police to investigate Dr. Ssentongo at the level of a specialist.
One of the security guards at the hospital gate who preferred anonymity to talk to us reveals that at the facility it is only the hospital top administrators whose vehicles are not checked on entry and exit.
“I don’t want to say that it is their vehicles which managed to beat our surveillance but they are always not checked, even when we insist on checking them, they threaten to discontinue us from duties.” The guard noted.
The Senior Biomedical Engineer at the Ministry of Health, Tadeo Byabagambi, has recommended an engineering audit to be carried out so that important data is captured for the ministry of health to update relevant authorities about the matter.
Byabagambi says the audit should be done on the entire facility’s departments where there is vital equipment. The stolen equipment was meant to complete the installation of Kayunga private wing.
The equipment included a biomedical engineering tool kit, sanitary plumbing appliances, brazing touch, map gas, hand drill, charging valve, electric blower and a vacuum pump.
Much as Ssentongo denies involvement in stealing the equipment, he does not deny the fact the equipment was stolen.
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