COVID-19 Taskforce directs the Ministry of Health to include VHTs in thier budget

 

The national COVID-19 task force has asked the health ministry to include Village Health Team (VHT) members in their budget as the best way to fight the pandemic right from the village level.

It has been revealed that the task force declined to approve the health ministry budget after VHTs were left out.

“We expected at least two VHTs per village to be included in the budget, but their proposed budget had nothing like that. The President approved the VHT model of providing health care, but the ministry had ignored it,” the source revealed.

The task force met Wednesday (June 23) to discuss concerns raised by members of the public regarding the lockdown measures. The Prime Minister, Robinah Nabbanja, who chairs the task force, was however, absent and the meeting was chaired by the second deputy premier, Moses Ali.

As a result, the task force also resolved that representatives from the finance and local government ministries be brought on board to further discuss the issue of VHTs.

Inside sources revealed that the task force met after feedback from several stakeholders on the management of the COVID-19 situation in the face of the 42-day lockdown that President Yoweri Museveni announced on June 18.

“There is a lot of feedback from different stakeholders and members of the public pointing at gaps, which need to be discussed and addressed,” said the source.

Among important concerns raised was the issue of how to deal with the COVID-19 vaccination exercise in the face of the lockdown, especially for those due to get a second jab, and giving relief to the vulnerable