By Kaleb Yiiki

Arua

Oversight execution Powers has been granted to a new Hospital Board for Arua Regional referral Hospital. According to the Ministry of Health Guide Lines, The Management Board for Regional Referral Hospitals shall have Nine (9) members, four of whom shall be women, with a minimum academic qualification of a university degree.
 
While officiating the Swearing in Ceremony of the Board, the Chief Magistrate High Court in Arua, His Worship George Obong, urged the board members to live to the High Standards of their Call. ”You can now do business that binds the Hospital, the sky is the Limit and I know you will offer a very useful Guidance.” He affirmed.
 
Dr. Alex Andema, the hospital Director, Arua Regional Referral Hospital says, by design, the Hospitals are supposed to have a Management Board. And the members of such a board are supposed to be people who are knowledgeable in some areas for instance; Arua Regional referral Hospital’s Distinguished New Board consists of; Senior Lawyers, Engineers, Medical professionals and Finance Professionals among others; who are meant to guide the Hospital in their area of management specialties to achieve quality and effectiveness.
 
Dr. Andema continued to note that, the Hospital Board functions are guided by the Ministry of Health Policies and Guidelines and that, there is a way the board is mandated to relate with the Hospital Staff, Management and the Communities that the Hospital Serves. He admitted that, sometimes the community members fail to get what the Hospital Administration is doing but the Board Members come in handy, since they are the members of the community, the Hospital Administration presents and reports all the Hospital Activities to the Board, including Achievements, Challenges, Lessons Learnt and way-forwards and with this, one of the Board’s cardinal roles is to mobilize resources for the Hospital, to help in Addressing the bottle-necks faced. “My expectation is that, with the much experience of the Board Members now, we should be doing much better than before.” He confirms.
 
In his inaugural speech, Dr. Sam Okuonzi Agatre, who has been given another three Years Extension appointment by the Minister of health, as Chairperson of the Board says that, in his previous tenure, the Board Initiated several Construction projects, some of which are completed while others are ongoing. The Project  include: Accident and Emergency center, which he says had been a big dream and has been achieved with a lot of negotiation processes. He says that, even in the period of Covid-19 Lock downs, the Board members had to come and Camp at the Hospital to offer supervisory work while other people were running away from the Hospital.


Dr. Sam Okuonzi Agatre giving Inaugural Speech
 
Also, the Board was able to push in for the construction and completion of the Hospital Laboratory Building up to the point that it was accepted to be up to the required and recommended standards. 
 
On the updates on the Project of the seven storied staff House, Dr. Sam Says that, funding challenges bogged down the project but he is optimistic that, though the funding for the construction works was coming in bits, in the Current tenure, they will ensure it that it is completed.
 
Considering the Blood Bank, Dr. Sam Says, getting a place to situate the Blood bank was a struggle, but the board made sure that the project was kick-started. He continued to reveal that the Board initiated a Cancer Centre and that all the agreements have been Completed, pending the New Board’s Resolution to start the construction work. Dr. Sam further promises that the immediate roles the New Board will have to embark on include: developing the five year Strategic plan for the period 2025-2030, since the current running strategic plan (2020-2025), will expire.

He also urged the new board to initiate the kick start of the Construction work for the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), which will be a Hospital of its own, with its own wards and beds, an operating theatre, and will operate like a hospital within a hospital. “The Picture I have in my mind is that when this land of the Hospital is fully occupied, the Buildings I will want to see standing are: the Maternity and Pediatric Complex, the Blood bank, the ICU, the Cancer Centre, the Heart Centre and by the time we are leaving as the Board, these buildings would have been completed, or they will be in process of completion.” He envisions.   
 
The Nine members of the Hospital management board for Arua Regional Referral Hospital, who will serve for the period 2023-2025, include: Dr. Sam Agatre Okuonzi (Health Professional), Dr. Amandua Jacinto (Health Professional), Mr. Pirwoth Michael (Lawyer), Mr. Jobile Cornelius (City Clerk), Mr. Aliti Tom (Health economist), Ms Wokorach Hilda (Engineer), Mrs Draru Janet Obuni (Entrepreneur), Ms Tabu Susan (Senior Principle Assistant Nursing Officer) and Dr. Andema Alex (Hospital Director/ Secretary to the Board). Whereas the Ex-Officio Members include: Dr. Onzubo Paul (District Health Officer), Mr. Draninva Nixon GN (Principle Tutor), Mr. Bwewayo victor (Pharmacist), Mr. Oboke Amos (Principle Hospital Administrator).
 
Just like any other Regional Referral Hospital, Arua Regional referral Hospital Offers specialist clinical services such as: Psychiatry, Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT), ophthalmology, higher level surgical and medical services, Auxiliary services such as laboratory, medical imaging and pathology, teaching and research.

COVER PHOTO: Members of ARRH pose for a group photo with His Worship George Obong By Kaleb Yiiki