Government has reportedly allocated over shs5bn for the purchase of face masks for over 1.2 million final year students who will be resuming school next week, October 15th.
While appearing before the budget committee chaired by Amos Lugolobi, the Ministry of Health Permanent Secretary Dr. Diana Atwine said that they got a directive from the cabinet to provide face masks to students as they return to school.
Atwine was appearing before the committee to defend the Shs100bn supplementary request for the ministry of health to fund malaria, TB and HIV/AIDs related activities among others due to decline in donor funding for these disease control interventions.
“We received a directive from the president and cabinet that we procure additional face masks for the children who are going to school that is Shs5.76bn in addition to what was earlier on committed.
So if we get the Shs24bn then we shall now be left with funding gap of Shs29.7bn on masks which also means we shall not be able to distribute them to the entire country as earlier planned,” Atwine said.
It is reported that each final year student will be give a two reusable cotton face masks.
The first batch of final year students, who are pursuing health related courses reported last week and have resumed face to face lectres.
