By Marium Namakula
Police have arrested three government health workers over alleged theft and illegal possession of government drugs during a recent enforcement operation in the central region by the National Drug Authority (NDA).
Mr. Abiaz Rwamwiri, the NDA spokesperson, stated that the suspects — two males and one female — were apprehended during compliance operations covering the districts of Kyotera, Gomba, Lwengo, Sembabule, and Masaka.
“We have arrested Odoi John, a Health Assistant at Kifamba Health Centre III in Rakai; Nakuya Jackie, an Enrolled Nurse at Kiwangala Health Centre IV in Lwengo; and Julius Babalanda Kabuure, a Clinical Officer at Kyazanga Health Centre IV in Lwengo, for theft of government drugs,” Rwamwiri confirmed.
During the same operation, NDA enforcement teams closed 85 illegal drug outlets and impounded more than 150 boxes of assorted medicines valued at over Shs92 million.
Rwamwiri noted that the crackdown is part of ongoing efforts to eliminate the illegal sale and misuse of government drugs — a problem that undermines access to safe and affordable healthcare, especially in rural communities.
The arrests come barely a month after NDA, working jointly with the Police, seized drugs worth Shs85 million in another week-long enforcement operation across western Uganda. That exercise, conducted in Ntungamo, Kamwenge, Rubirizi, Kisoro, and Mbarara districts, led to the closure of 96 drug shops and the impounding of 185 boxes of medicines found either in poor storage or being sold by unlicensed dealers.
The NDA reiterated its commitment to protecting public health by regulating the manufacture, distribution, and sale of human and animal medicines, as well as healthcare products across the country.
“We will continue working with security agencies to ensure that government medicines reach the intended patients, not private drug outlets or the black market,” Rwamwiri said.
