Members of Parliament sitting on the Government Assurance Committee, chaired by Hon Latif Ssebagala have Wednesday ordered for action against the project manager and contractor on Nakaseke General Hospital refurbishment due to shoddy work.
The decision was reached during an interface with the Ministry of Health Officials led by the Permanent Secretary, Dianah Atwine, Nakaseke District CAO, Edith Mutabazi and hospital director, Bernard Okongo following a report by members after a field visit to the hospital.
Yanjian Uganda Company Ltd, a Chinese company was contracted on January 31, 2014 to carry out works at Nakaseke General Hospital at a cost of USD 5Million for a period of 18 months ending July 31, 2015.
The contractor was charged with the construction of a new OPD block with X-ray, Ultra Sound, Physiotherapy, ART Clinic, Teen Centre and General Clinics; a new Causality block with one operating theatre room.
Atwine says the contractor was also tasked to refurbish and expand the existing T block, with works including refurbishment of all In-patients wards, labour suite, mortuary and construction of an isolated ward, 2 operating theatre rooms with associated facilities, 8 self-contained private rooms and private OPD facilities.
“Practical completion of works was achieved on September 14, 2015 but it has been extended pending rectification of terrazzo floor cracks, cracking ceiling joints and replacement of the damaged roofing sheets,” Atwine reported to the committee.
“I carried out an independent visit to the hospital but I was shocked with the nature of work that was done; it is very clear that the construction is substandard and the whole work needs to be redone,” the emotional Atwine noted.
Atwiine who joined the Ministry a few months ago however owned the mess calling on a private independent audit into all the contracts that were awarded to Yanjian Company.
It should be noted that government through the Ministry of Health applied for financing from the International Development Association (IDA) towards the cost of the Uganda Health System Strengthening Project (UHSSP).
The financing was for the construction and renovation of 7 hospitals of Entebbe, Moroto, Iganga, Mityana, Nakaseke, Kiryandongo, Moyo, Nebbi and Anaka which were all put under the same contractor.
Nakaseke South MP, Paulson Kasana Lutamaguzi asked Parliament to force government to ensure that the contractors refund the money or redo the construction as per the set standards.
The committee ordered the PS to return to the committee with the project managers, monitors and evaluators who are said to have connived with the contractors.