Government has said work at Namboole Stadium, which was designated to set up 40,000 beds for managing Covid-19 patients in the country, has started.
Last week the Ministry of Health said they were guided by President Museveni to put in place the said number beds to prepare for the worst case scenario as the country experiences a rise in Covid-19 cases.
Mr Emmanuel Ainebyoona, the senior public relations officer at the Health Ministry, said on Monday that work at the stadium started last week.
“It is an urgent issue. We are planning to establish over 500 beds there (at Namboole stadium),” he said.
Dr Joyce Moriku Kaducu, the Minister of State for Primary Healthcare, said whereas expansion of spaces for managing Covid-19 patients in regional referral hospitals is ongoing, it is prudent for the country to prepare adequately.
“Most hospitals have discharged most of their patients, actually we do not have patients. But we do not want to be taken by surprise. We want to have enough space so that when the hospitals become overwhelmed again, we just take patients to Namboole,” she said.
Dr Mukuzi Muhereza, the Uganda Medical Association secretary general, however, said although plans to increase the number of beds is ongoing, the number of health workers are too low.
Dr Muhereza said experience has shown that giving enough rest to medical workers will reduce their chance of getting infected as Covid-19.
More than 20 health workers in the country have already tested positive for the virus.
However, according to Dr Kaducu, government is also planning to recruit more health workers to run the facilities.