The Deputy Speaker, Anita Among has directed the Ministry of Health to carry out a comprehensive audit of the state of district hospitals and health centres around the country and report to the House in one month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe also need to know budgetary expectations for upgrading of health centres. This should be done in consultation with the constituency MPs and the Committee on Health,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Among\u2019s directive followed a statement by the Minister of State for Health in charge of General duties, Hon Anifa Kawooya during a plenary sitting on 22 July 2021.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Minister was responding to a question raised by Terego District Woman MP, Hon. Rose Obiga over the absence of a district hospital in her constituency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kawooya said that Terego district is still new, adding that the two-health centre IVs are providing services to the community in the district.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAccording to the Ministry of Health policy, the health centres have the capacity to serve the current district population of 200,000. These health centres will be well equipped and health workers recruited to provide services,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kawooya added that there are 68 new districts which await upgrading of health centre IV\u2019s to district hospitals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Legislators however, dissented from the Minister\u2019s statement saying that some districts have been in existence for long but still do not have hospitals, while other hospitals operate without budgets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sembabule District Woman MP, hon Mary Begumisa informed the Minister that the district was created in 1994 but still has no district hospital. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe district has been operating with a health centre IV. When will the district get a hospital,\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Minister however, attributed the delay in upgrading the health centre IV to a hospital to a stalemate in acquisition of a land title and the need to expand the land to accommodate a hospital.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hon. Goreth Namugga asked whether the lack of land is to blame for the absence of equipment and medical supplies in the health centre. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIs it because there is no land for building a hospital in Sembabule that the health centres do not have medical supplies?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hon. Flavia Kabahenda questioned the criteria used to upgrade health centre IV\u2019s to hospitals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe need a report on how all health centres are upgraded. Kyegagwa has been a district for long but does not have a hospital,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bwamba County MP, Hon Richard Gafabusa asked the Minister to include the status of district hospitals which are dilapidated and non-functional.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSome districts have hospitals but the people can barely access services there. Money was allocated to some of those hospitals but there is no update on the rehabilitation of such hospitals,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hon. Melisa Naima Avako pointed out that whilst some of the districts have had health centre IV\u2019s upgraded to hospitals, there are no budgets to run the facilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe minister should also include in her report the status of upgraded hospitals without budgets. An example is Yumbe Hospital which is not fully operational due to lack of funds,\u201d Avako said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Chief Opposition Whip, Hon John Baptist Nambeshe urged the Minister to provide the House with a comprehensive report which has a list of all districts without hospitals and related health budgets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Parliamentary News<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The Deputy Speaker, Anita Among has directed the Ministry of Health to carry out a comprehensive audit of the state of district hospitals and health centres around the country and report to the House in one month. \u201cWe also need to know budgetary expectations for upgrading of health centres. This should be done in consultation […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":27983,"featured_media":25264,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_paywall_metabox":[],"jnews_override_counter":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[98],"tags":[31,666],"class_list":["post-25261","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-featured","tag-ministry-of-health-uganda"],"yoast_head":"\n