Mbale Regional Referral Hospital has received a state-of-the-art mobile laboratory worth over $50 million from the Russian government to enhance testing capabilities for Ebola and other infectious diseases.
Daniel Mwayafu, the Acting Director of the hospital, confirmed the development on Thursday, noting that the Ministry of Health deployed the facility in response to the recent Ebola outbreak.
The laboratory is equipped with cutting-edge machines, including a GeneXpert, Chemistry Analyzer, and Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) machine, significantly improving the hospital’s diagnostic capacity.
Mwayafu explained that the hospital can now conduct Ebola tests for the entire Eastern region, eliminating the need to send samples to Entebbe, which previously caused delays in obtaining results.
Asumin Nasike, Chairperson of the Mbale City Ebola Task Force and Resident City Commissioner, welcomed the mobile laboratory, emphasizing that it had arrived at a critical moment amid the ongoing Ebola outbreak in Mbale City.
Currently, Mbale City has recorded one Ebola-related death, while over 100 contacts have been discharged, and one patient has recovered and been released from the hospital.
Mbale Regional Referral Hospital has discharged its first Ebola patient after she completed treatment, marking a significant milestone in the fight against the disease. The patient, a mother who contracted Ebola from her son, who died from the disease and was buried at Namusi in Northern Mbale City, was treated at the hospital’s Ebola treatment center.
Daniel Mwayafu, the acting director of Mbale Regional Referral Hospital, explained that the patient was one of three Ebola cases treated at the facility. The two other patients were transferred to Mulago National Referral Hospital in Kampala for further treatment.
Mwayafu commended the medical team for their efforts in treating the patient, stating, “Doctors did what it took by treating her, and she is now free from Ebola.” Asumin Nasike, the chairperson of the Mbale City Ebola Task Force Committee and Mbale Resident City Commissioner, presented the patient with a certificate confirming her Ebola-free status.
Nasike urged the community to welcome the patient back and report any suspected Ebola cases to prevent further spread of the disease. The former Ebola patient expressed her gratitude to the medical team and cautioned the public not to take Ebola lightly.
She emphasized the importance of adhering to medical precautions to prevent the spread of the disease. The patient’s discharge has brought relief to the community, and efforts continue to contain the outbreak. Over 128 Ebola contacts were placed under quarantine at the hospital, with 100 discharged yesterday and 20 discharged Wednesday.
The remaining 28 contacts are expected to be discharged on Friday.
