COVID-19 patient escape stirs panic in Gulu
Gulu, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | There is an uproar in Gulu City following incidences of escape by COVID-19 patients who had been admitted for treatment at Gulu Regional Referral Hospital.
In less than two months, the treatment unit at the facility has already recorded three cases of patients who have so far escaped. The latest incident recorded at the end of August, yet in all cases the patients’ whereabouts remain unknown, sparking fears of continued community infections.
Dr Paska Apiyo, a Physician and the Head of Case Management at Gulu Regional Referral Hospital says that the escapees have exploited the lax security at the facility to sneak out. She added that the escape is also aided by special hire drivers within the precincts of the hospital, who often drive them swiftly without being noticed.
Gulu District Police Commander Emmanuel Mafundo acknowledged that the bushes, that have grown covering the perimeter fence of the treatment facility, have become an escape route for the patients.
Gulu Resident District Commissioner Maj. Santo Okot Lapolo observed that tracking the escapees has become difficult because some of them give wrong addresses at the time of their registration.
Lapolo also asserts that the Task Force is already engaging the hospital management to mend the broken perimeter fence, adding that the police backed by the military who are guarding the facility have also scaled up surveillance to deter escapees.
Gulu Regional Referral Hospital treatment Centre has recorded a cumulative of 405 confirmed COVID-19 patients and 188 recoveries. 32 of the cases were from the community. However, the facility currently has up to 220 active patients still undergoing treatment.
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