Busia: Teso South Member of Parliament (MP), Mary Emase, has opposed plans by the Ministry of Health to use Alupe Sub-county Hospital as an Ebola isolation and quarantine centre. The legislator argued that the facility plays a critical role in providing healthcare services to thousands of residents in Teso South, Teso Central Sub-counties, and the environs.
According to Kenya News Agency, speaking at Kochek Primary School in Teso South, Emase emphasized that the hospital should remain fully operational and urged the government to establish a separate quarantine facility, away from the main hospital buildings. She declared, “Alupe Hospital is the only Sub-county Hospital serving our people in Teso South and Teso Central. We are not going to accept any proposal or decision to use the facility as a quarantine centre. We cannot allow the suffering we went through during COVID-19 when the facility was closed down and turned into a quarantine centre.”
The MP called on the Ministry of Health to take advantage of the vast land available at Alupe and construct a quarantine facility dedicated for Ebola, ensuring it would not interfere with the delivery of healthcare services. She stated, “We are at the border and faced with the danger of Ebola, but we are telling the Ministry of Health to construct a new centre away from the Hospital to serve as a quarantine facility. Alupe has enough space that can be used for that purpose without disrupting services at the Hospital.”
Emase highlighted that residents are still concerned about the possibility of the Hospital being converted into a quarantine centre, recalling the challenges experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic. She noted that many patients were forced to travel long distances to seek treatment at Busia County Referral Hospital after services at Alupe were scaled down.
“During COVID-19, people seeking health services suffered a lot when the facility was turned into a quarantine centre. The community around the hospital also faced stigma, and leaders had to conduct awareness campaigns to restore public confidence in the facility,” she remarked.
The MP further mentioned residents’ worries concerning reports of Ebola cases in neighboring Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo but assured them that efforts are being made to ensure essential health services remain accessible. Her sentiments come at a time when health authorities in Busia County have intensified surveillance and preparedness measures due to the county’s strategic location along the Kenya-Uganda border.
Busia County Director of Public Health and Sanitation, Joseph Oprong, confirmed that an isolation centre has already been identified at Alupe Hospital. He explained that experts are currently assessing and equipping the facility to ensure readiness to handle any suspected Ebola cases. “We are already assessing our isolation centre at Alupe and have experts carrying out the exercise. They are also assessing the quarantine facilities so that in case we detect any case, we are prepared to respond quickly. We have instructed them to ensure the assessment and equipping process is completed as soon as possible,” said Oprong.
