Biomedical Engineers Speak out on Broken Down Equipment
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8 NEW VISION, Friday, July 1, 2016 NATIONAL NEWS Biomedical engineers speak out on broken down equipment By Cecilia Okoth expensively handle complex and John Agaba machine cases, leaving the ON THE smaller machines to gather Professionals have attributed dust, yet the same work the increasing breakdown GROUND could be done faster and at a of medical equipment in lower cost by locally trained public health facilities to the biomedical engineers,” the Government’s failure to recruit group’s article, published in specialist engineers for the today’s New Vision, page 15, machinery. reads. New Vision yesterday “There is currently no job published an exclusive story description or placement in detailing how various hospitals the Public Service Commission across the country are failing in Uganda and the possibility to treat patients after their of brain drain is real, owing X-ray and ultrasound scan to the growing opportunities machines, which are crucial elsewhere in the world,” the in the diagnosis process, break professionals said. down. Other cases of machine They called for the absorption An X-ray machine in one of the regional hospitals. Mbonye said diploma graduates can breakdown include the only n Dr. Anthony Mbonye, of biomedical engineers in be trained to repair the x-ray machines and hospital beds cobalt radiation machine for the acting director of the healthcare system, saying treating cancer patients at general health services, this is the surest way to and health facilities are director of Gulu Regional was needed to fix it. the Uganda Cancer Institute, said regional maintenance alleviate the challenges faced running fairly well. Yesterday, Referral Hospital, said much “To my surprise, the which collapsed in April, workshops were carried due to medical equipment I was in Bundibugyo. I visited as the hospital’s X-ray machine biomedical engineer said we leaving the country in fear. out in the districts of management. a number of facilities and ceased working two years ago, did not need that money to In an article responding to the Mbale, Mbarara, Kabarole When contacted, Dr. Anthony mothers are delivering well,” it will soon be operational, repair it,” he added. story, Beryl Arinda Ngabirano and Gulu to service and Mbonye, the acting director said Mbonye. thanks to the biomedical However, Mbonye said one and other biomedical repair medical apparatus. of general health services, He said the new ministry engineer, who started working does not need to have a degree engineering students at the said regional maintenance of health structure, which at the facility two months ago. to repair a hospital bed or College of Health Sciences, workshops were carried out in Parliament approved “The problem has been X-ray machine. Makerere University, decried the best of its performance the districts of Mbale, Mbarara, last month, incorporated misdiagnosis. We have “We have diploma the delayed integration of by attending to emergency Kabarole and Gulu to service biomedical engineers. He had technicians come for (biomedical engineering) biomedical engineers into the breakdowns and repairs. and repair medical apparatus. said the ministry would soon maintenance workshops, but graduates from Kyambogo public health service sector. “The Government has not “Yes, you will find that start employing biomedical they were not able to scrutinise University who can be trained. One of the roles of biomedical seen the need to employ local some health facilities do not engineers to supplement the machine,” Onyachi said, All they need are short courses engineers in hospitals where biomedical engineers in its have all the required medical its regional maintenance adding that they had so far in repairing ‘new’ medical they are employed, is to facilities, opting to source for equipment, whereas others are workshops. spent sh15m in repairing the equipment like MRI and CT maintain the equipment to personnel from abroad to faulty, but overall, our hospitals Dr. Nathan Onyachi, the machine and another sh24m machines.” UPDF soldier shoots four, kills himself in bar brawl By Donald Kiirya WHAT RESIDENTS SAY The motive that led 24-year-old BETWEEN THE LINES: Private Steven Ajuna to shoot himself n Witnesses said Ajuna walked Laston Ngobi, dead is still a mystery for residents at into the bar complaining that vice-chairperson of Amber Amber Court market in Mpumudde, Sebunya’s wife, Olivia Nalubega, Court market Kimaka division in Jinja district. had advised his pregnant Ajuna has been frequenting Nobody expected that his regular girlfriend, only identified as Ssebunya’s bar and took bar would turn into a murder scene. Grace, to report him to his alcohol in the company of Shock gripped residents of Amber bosses after failing to provide various women. He has also Court village on Wednesday night her with antenatal support. been playing pool game at the after Ajuna shot into a bar and bar. wounded four people, before killing himself. Court market, Ajuna went back to Samson Lubega, Ajuna of the Uganda People’s his house in the barracks, a short Kiira region Police Defence Forces (UPDF) attached distance away and returned with an spokesperson to the Non-Commissioned Officers AK-47 rifle. He immediately opened It seems Ajuna had domestic (NCO) Academy in Gadaffi barracks, fire, shooting Nalubega and several issues bothering him. Most opened fire in a bar, Namba 263, other people. times soldiers use guns under located in Amber Court market at Many of the patrons took cover the influence of alcohol. around 10:00pm. The bar, which under tables, while others hid behind Barely a month ago, a soldier deals in local brew, belongs to the cars that were parked outside attached to Magamaga Army another soldier, Mathias Ssebunya. the bar. Therefore, Ajuna reportedly Nalubega at Jinja Hospital where she was rushed with three others, barracks in Mayuge district Witnesses said Ajuna walked into thereafter pointed the barrel under who were injured during the shooting. Photo by Donald Kiirya shot his wife after a quarrel. the bar complaining that Sebunya’s his chin and shot himself. He died wife, Olivia Nalubega, had advised instantly. yet issued a public statement on the shot in the neck; Nakimera, who was his pregnant wife, only identified as The Jinja District Police Commander, incident. shot in the buttocks and Nalubega, investigations, Ajuna’s girlfriend is Grace, to report him to his bosses Felix Mugizi, one of the detectives who was shot in the left leg. a chips vendor. Although they do after failing to provide her with who rushed to the scene, evacuated The injured The Kiira Region Police Commander, not live together, Ajuna and his antenatal support. the injured and took Ajuna’s body to These include 41-year-old Moses Godfrey Maate, yesterday said the girlfriend often quarrelled whenever After an argument in the bar with Jinja Hospital mortuary. The scene Gooli, who lost his right hand index injured, who were admitted in Ward they met in the bar. one Grace Nakimera, a reveller has since been cordoned off. finger; Francis Tumuhimbise, a 9 of Jinja Hospital, are recuperating. Ajuna joined the army in 2013 and and wife of the chairman of Amber By press time, the army had not manager at Sigma company, who was According to preliminary his first posting had been at the NCO. .