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KCCA executive committee opposes charges for COVID-19 tests

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Executive Committee of Kampala Capital City Authority-KCCA has opposed a move by the government to start charging for COVID-19 tests.

The Ministry of Health indicated last week that truck drivers, people in need of knowing their COVID-19 status, government and public organizations, Ugandans returning from abroad and visitors from other countries will all be mandated to pay a fee of 240,500 Shillings for tests to be carried out.

Addressing a press conference on Tuesday, members of the committee led by the Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago said that it is contradictory for government to encourage people to test and then charge.

He said that the charges levied are too expensive for an ordinary Uganda in Kampala who is still recovering from the lockdown.

According to the Ministry, the fee is cost recovery mechanisms that will enable it to acquire more test kits for continued access to testing services in the country. A total of 4,000 tests equivalent to 962 million Shillings are carried out daily.

Lukwago questions the whereabouts of the funds that were donated to the National Covid-19 Task Force.

In June, Parliament approved a supplementary budget of 1.087 trillion Shillings to facilitate the COVID-19 response by the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Trade and other government entities.

A total of 37 Billion Shillings was set aside for the procurement of test kits and laboratory consumables.

Lukwago says if the government has run out of funds, it should seek a supplementary budget.

2,972 cases have so far been recorded in the country with Kampala registering more than 400 cases. A total of 32 deaths have been registered.

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