Misery as Arua hospital fails to clear mother of six who supplied Covid-19 patients with food

By Andrew Cohen Amvesi          October 19, 2024

ARUA. Arua regional referral hospital management has come on the spot for failing to clear a woman who supplied food for covid-19 patients in care and the staff stationed in the corona treatment centre during the outbreak of the pandemic from 2020 to 2022.

Diana Ozua, a mother of six also the Managing Director of Shalom Caterers, is now stuck after the hospital management failed to clear her outstanding balance of shs27,612,508.

Ozua commonly known as Medina, a staunch NRM supporter in Arua city, said her children have now dropped out of school due to lack of school fees.

Besides, Ozua said the only business she used to rely on to feed her family has also totally collapsed because of the continued delay to clear her money.

“I started demanding for my money in 2022 but the hospital officials have deliberately refused to pay me in full. Out of shs90,512,508 I worked for from July 13, 2020 when we signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU), I was paid shs62,900,000 in two installments on January 21, 2021 and December 30, 2021 but since then, my balance of shs27,612,508 has not been paid,” Ozua explained.

“Remember, I picked a loan to start the business and on top of that, I used to pick things on credit to supply the hospital with breakfast and food on a daily basis. I incurred a lot of expenses and that is why the shs60m didn’t even last in my hands. My only profit I was looking at to sustain my business and look after my children is the shs27m which the hospital management has refused to clear. I’m now helpless,” Ozua remarked.

As a result, Ozua said she is now unable to afford rent and feed her children the way she used to do while still working.

“I left the house I was renting in Obolokofuku cell in Arua Central Division and shifted to Anyafio because I couldn’t afford to pay its rent anymore. My children now eat by luck; we can sometimes go for two days without food not until I call some of my relatives to help me with some money. I didn’t know that the help I willingly rendered to the hospital during covid-19 period would one day turn my life so miserable like this,” Ozua said with tears rolling down her cheek.

With the suffering being subjected to, Ozua noted that in the MoU she signed, the hospital was supposed to pay her shs10,000 per plate for food but instead, they were paying her shs6,000 per plate.

“I wouldn’t have bothered if my money was cleared but the continued stance of not paying my money is now forcing me to recall the manner in which the hospital administration cheated me during those hard times of serving them,” Ozua recounted.

When contacted over the matter, Dr. Alex Andema, the Arua regional referral hospital Director, said he also found Ozua’s pending pay issue on the table when he was transferred to Arua.

“The money is supposed to be paid from the Ministry of Health. We have submitted the documents, so I don’t know when it will be paid. The issue is now in the ministry, we are not the ones handling it. You know these things are not sorted in the media, the media is not the solution, the solution is the Ministry of Health,” Andema said.

However, we couldn’t reach Emmanuel Ainebyoona, the Senior Public Relations Officer of the Ministry of Health for a comment as his known telephone number couldn’t be reached by press time.

The MoU between Shalom Caterers and Arua hospital was on July 13, 2020 signed on behalf of the hospital by Dr. Filbert Nyeko, the then Arua regional referral hospital Director.