Four health workers from Malera Health Centre III and Kabarwa Health Centre III in Bukedea District have been arrested and are currently being held at Bukedea Central Police Station over allegations of stealing medical supplies.
The arrests followed an audit by the State House Health Monitoring Unit (HMU), which exposed inconsistencies in the records of medical inventory.
Dr. Jerome Mpaata Owagage, assistant director at HMU, stated that the audit uncovered the disappearance of 12 boxes containing testing kits and other lab supplies from Malera Health Centre III.
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When questioned, the staff claimed the items had been stored offsite due to limited storage space at the facility. However, upon inspection, it was discovered that the recovered supplies had batch numbers designated for Kabarwa Health Centre III, not Malera.
Dr. Mpaata said the health workers eventually confessed to transferring supplies from Kabarwa to Malera in a bid to fabricate accountability. An immediate audit at Kabarwa confirmed the facility’s store had been emptied, and vital supplies, including Determine test kits, had been moved to Malera.
Consequently, two workers from Malera are to be charged with abuse of office and embezzlement, while their counterparts from Kabarwa will face charges of conspiracy.
“All suspects failed to provide satisfactory accountability for the missing items,” Dr. Mpaata noted.
Bukedea Resident District Commissioner Wilberforce Tukei condemned the incident, saying, “Theft of drugs is unacceptable. The president has repeatedly warned against this practice. These individuals will face legal consequences.”
Human rights advocate Juliet Aluka expressed alarm over the persistent issue of drug theft in government-run health facilities, urging urgent government action.
“The theft of medicines is a national concern that demands serious attention. Health workers have become increasingly sophisticated in hiding their tracks,” Ms. Aluka remarked.
The Inspectorate of Government (IGG) has consistently flagged medical theft as a critical form of corruption undermining Uganda’s public health system. In its 2021 report, the IGG highlighted that the diversion of medicine and equipment from public to private hands remains the most rampant form of corruption in the sector, leaving countless patients without access to life-saving treatment.
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