By Sadique Bamwita
Kampala
The United Nations International Organization for Migration (IOM), has handed over four thermal scanning machines to deal with screening of Ebola patients at the entry of key border points between Uganda and Democratic Republic of Congo(DRC). These thermal scanners are intended to help health workers screen large numbers of travellers quickly and without any physical contact.
However, Dr. Diana Atwiine, the permanent secretary at the Ministry of Health, said the thermal scanners can’t provide conclusive results in screening against ebola disease. She cited a recent case of Ebola where a business woman also a wife to Nigerian diplomatic took Panadol and went through various screening thermal machines when her temperature was low not untill she took herself to the hospital .
Following the said incident, Dr. Atwiine has called on all stakeholders in the fight against ebola disease to take another level of screening saying people now read widely about ebola and can easily exploit the gaps in thermal scanners.
Dr. Diana Atwiine, who received the four thermal scanners from IOM Uganda Chief of Missions Sanusi Tejan Savage, at the Ministry of Health Headquarters in Kampala, said having thermal scanners at the border entry or Airports is not an absolute measure of detecting ebola disease saying that a person can have normal temperature even when he/she is about to die of ebola disease.
Dr. Atwiine noted that in order to prevent spreading more cases of ebola in the country, the government of Uganda is going to invoke the Public Health Act, so as to constitute instant courts to charge any traveller from Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) found guilty of exposing Ugandans to Ebola disease.
Dr.Atwiine further pledged to strengthen surveillance on the porous borders between Uganda and Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). She added that government plans to reinstate traveller’s tracker such that anyone coming from DRC is taken back to his country before traversing Uganda.
She warmed corrupt immigration officers who allow migrants from Democratic Republic of Congo to sneak into the country saying that they also equally be charged in courts of Laws and consequently will be axed from their jobs.
Meanwhile, the four donated scanners will be deployed at key Points of Entry along Uganda’s border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), with two allocated to Busia, one to Ntoroko and another to Bunagana. The handover is part of IOM project of Strengthening Capacities to Effectively Manage Bundibugyo EVD at Priority Points of Entry and Border Community.
