UNHCR donation to Uganda's Ministry of Health aims to boost Ebola response.

KAMPALA, Uganda - UNHCR’s Representative in Uganda today handed over three ambulances, thirty one motorcycles and a thermal scanner to the Ministry of Health to boost the Ebola response. Uganda has included refugees in the National Ebola Preparedness and Response Plan and continues to keep its borders open, ensuring safe and dignified asylum for the women, children and men arriving daily from the neighbouring countries.

This year, the Ministry of Health launched the Integrated Health Sector Refugee Response Plan (HSIRRP) and has created a secretariat and steering committee chaired by Minister of Health, Hon. Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng. One of the pillars of the plan includes strengthening the districts’ capacity to detect and respond to Ebola outbreaks. The HSIRRP 5-year plan will not only benefit the refugees but also the over 7 million host communities across the refugee-hosting districts in Uganda.

To support the refugee-hosting district health system under the HSIRRP, the ambulances will go to Arua, Kikuube and Kisoro districts for transportation of identified alerts and suspected cases of Ebola to designated treatment sites. Motorcycles will be used to improve Integrated disease surveillance and response in in the refugee-hosting districts of Yumbe, Arua, Adjumani, Moyo, Lamwo, Kikuube, Kiryandongo, Kamwenge, Kyegegwa, Isingiro, Koboko, Hoima and Ntoroko districts. The thermal scanner will be deployed at the point of entry with highest refugee influx as stipulated in the National Ebola preparedness and response plan,to improve Ebola surveillance.

The Ministry of Health has coordinated Ebola preparedness and response within the country since the outbreak was declared in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

“I wish to extend my appreciation to UNHCR and UK (DFID) for the Ambulances, motorcycles and the UN’s Central Emergency Relief Fund (CERF) for the thermal scanner,”said Hon. Dr.Jane RuthAceng, Minister of Health. “The donation will improve case management by transportation of the alert cases from the point of identification of the isolation centres.”

At the handover ceremony, Mr Joel Boutroue, UNHCR’s Representative in Uganda said, “This donation is part of the UNHCR efforts to strengthen refugee-hosting district health systems to be betterprepared for any possible outbreaks”.

With 1.3 million women, men and children requiring international protection Uganda is currently Africa’s leading refugee-hosting country in Africa, and ranks among the top three worldwide. The refugees originate from Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia, South Sudan and other countries.

For more information, please contact:

UNHCR in Kampala: Yonna Tukundane, [email protected], +256775 827490

Ministry of Health in Kampala: Emmanuel Ainebyoona, [email protected], +256706 428093