Gulu | Last week, Gulu’s Resident City Commissioner (RCC), Jane Frances Amongin Okili, warned the community surrounding health facilities not to “flood it with human waste.”
Amongin issued the warning during the commissioning and monitoring of Gulu City projects for fiscal year 2023-2024.
Some of the projects involve schools and health centres, such as Oitino Health Centre II. The local health facility received a shs30 million facelift, while Gulu primary school and Pece primary school received shs40 million and shs55 million respectively in renovations.
She warned communities in Oitino to stop open defecation on toilet edges and floors.
The RCC urged community members and patients seeking treatment to “learn how to use toilets.”
The project, which was completed three months ago, saw toilets renovated.
Over shs125 million was spent on all of the aforementioned projects.
Previously, when she visited the Oitino health facility, the RCC reported finding toilets flooded with human faeces.
According to the RCC, facility management claimed that the community surrounding the centre was misusing the point of convenience.
Without taking sides, RCC Okili warned both the community and health workers last week about misusing the toilets, urging them to “stop and learn how to defecate correctly.”
She threatened to close the facility immediately if it was found to be misused again.
Misuse of the toilets and defecation in the compound is fueling disease outbreaks among our patients, she said, constantly warning and advising the community to consider building their own toilets at home to improve the level of good hygiene and sanitation at Oitino.
Innocent Ahimbisibwe, Gulu City town clerk, also issued a warning to locals. The clerk urged them to properly maintain and monitor school and hospital infrastructures rather than waiting for city council to arrive.
For many years, he said, Gulu City has been dealing with cases of misuse of government property that was supposed to be managed by the community.
He claimed that selfish people and backwardness are sabotaging Gulu City’s development.
According to Joecy Acan, an enrolled nurse at Oitino Health Centre II in Bardege-Layibi Division, the facility is experiencing a rise in negative community behaviour.
Acan stated that they use the toilets at night and defecate on the floor.
“Half of all households lack a toilet or latrine. This drives them to seek out a place to defecate, and they visit the facility at night,” she said.
Acan also stated that the facility is unfenced and that there is insufficient security to protect the property adequately.
“It makes it difficult to control the community not to use toilets at night,” she said, urging city officials to fence the facility to maintain good sanitation.
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