A sign post for Itia health centre II in Terego district. Photo by Martin Anguyo

By Martin Anguyo

Terego
The health in charges of various health facilities in Terego district have been warned against extorting money from patients. This follows the increasing extortion cases reported at the Resident District Commissioner’s office by a section of concerned people in the district.

Festus Ayikobua, the Resident District Commissioner Terego says, everything is already put in place to arrest health in charges who are involved in the act. “Collecting money when you are not supposed to, this information has been reaching to us again and again. I don’t want any health worker to be in trouble because of 10,000 Ugandan shillings. Should you be discovered that you have been extorting from patients, that will be the time you will regret why you joined Terego district, ’’ he said.

But the Terego District Health Officer Benard Ongua wonders why the health workers are extorting money from patients yet the government pays their salary timely. “Government of Uganda is paying your salaries timely so let’s do what is expected from us,’’ Ongua noted.

Meanwhile, the chairman for social services Terego district, Arubaku Peter said that, the lives of the people in the district all fall in the hands of the health workers since they play pivotal role in treating them.

Extortion is one of the issues that hinders service delivery and is not allowed by the government.