Arua Hospital Director In Trouble Over Missing Ambulance

The Director of Arua regional referral Hospital, Dr. Filbert Nyeko is in trouble over failure to recover an ambulance that went missing nearly three months ago.

The Toyota Land Cruiser ambulance belonging to Arua Regional referral hospital Reg. No. UG 6812 M was discovered missing from the yard on March 29th 2021.

This was after the Resident City Commissioner Arua Martin Oroch requested for the ambulance to transport two injured URA enforcement officers who were attacked by a mob from Ayivu East to Arua hospital earlier on Sunday.

The ambulance estimated to cost over UGX 300 million was given to Arua regional referral hospital by Ministry of Health last year for high way emergency services. The three Security Guards who were on duty on the night the ambulance disappeared at Arua hospital were arrested, detained at Arua CPS and later released on Police Bond.

However, to date there are no clues as to the whereabouts of the ambulance, suspected to have been driven in to DR Congo. But some of the locals in Arua have started issuing threats to the life of the Director Dr. Filbert Nyeko pinning him for not ensuring safety of government property in his custody.

Speaking to the Press yesterday, Dr. Filbert Nyeko said some of the people yet to be identified have sent threatening messages to him while others said they will mobilize through social media to demonstrate at the hospital, demanding for his transfer.

Meanwhile the Resident City Commissioner (RCC) Arua Martin Oroch said they have got intelligence information that some of the people behind the threats to Dr. Nyeko’s life are planning to demonstrate. Oroch says whoever is involved in the plans should restrain before the law is evoked on them.

However, Hudson Ocheng, the Police Spokesperson for West Nile said intelligence operatives are investigating the threats to Dr. Nyeko’s life and planned demonstration by some of the locals.

In February last year, an autoclave machine and assorted tool kits worth over UGX 500 million were discovered missing but later recovered from Nebbi and brought back to Arua regional referral hospital.

Similarly, in 2017, Assistant Procurement Officer and a Driver at the hospital were also arrested and detained for some time in connection with the disappearance of another Autoclave machine at the hospital.

URN