Red Cross Society Offers Free Cleaning Services to New Rutooma HC.III

KABALE: The Red Cross Society of Northern Division in Kabale Municipality spent the entire of Tuesday this week giving free cleaning services to the newly established Rutooma Health Centre III.

The Team led by the Northern Division LC.3 Chairman Isaac Mucunguzi Rushoga who is also a member of the Red Cross society said they were cleaning the health facility as part of their Monthly Health promotion activities.

Rutooma Health Centre III was constructed last year, by the Government of Uganda at a tune of Ug. Shs. 920 million to enhance medical service provision in Kabale Municipality.

The Red Cross Society Coordinator for Northern Division, Ms. Josephine Asasira said that they had decided to sweep the compound, mop the floor, slash the grass around the facility, and help the Staff hang mosquito nets, among others.

She added that they were planning to clean the facility every month until the end of this year, in support of the only one cleaner employed at the Division’s biggest health centre.

The Northern Division LC.3 Chairman Mucunguzi Isaac Rushoga recounted how he commanded a team of elected and government employed officers to secure the land on which Rutooma HC.III was built.

Rushoga said he was overjoyed to see the people seeking medical services at the newly constructed facility.

“We had protracted battles with land grabbers who were attempting to claim ownership of this piece of land from the time I entered office in 2016. I feel very happy when I see children, the elderly, and other people, even from outside Northern Division coming to seek for services here,” he said

According to the Rutooma HC.III in charge Evas Busigye, the facility located in Butare cell, Rutooma parish, Northern Division,   also receives patients from the neighbouring Bubare Sub County in Rubanda District, and Kitumba Sub County in Kabale District. 

She said some of the services they were offering included Diagnosis and treatment of common infections, Screening and treatment of Non Communicable diseases, Family Planning, and antenatal services among others.

However, Ms. Busingye revealed that despite Government availing almost all the equipment required for operation of a Health Centre III including beds, they were not yet admitting patients.

She said this was partly because the human resource was not yet sufficient.

In addition to the three nurses at the facility, Ms. Busingye said that the Ministry of Health and Kabale Municipal Council had pledged to deploy more medical personnel, to ensure that the facility functions to its full capacity.  

Meanwhile, our reporter toured around the facility and witnessed a number of hospital equipment including modern delivery beds in the Labor ward, a fully-fledged medicine store with a drug refrigerator, among other items.