KAMPALA, UGANDA – Uganda’s national mental health referral facility, Butabika National Referral Hospital, is buckling under the weight of a severe staffing crisis, with only 14 psychiatrists available to attend to more than 1,000 inpatients.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!The dire development was revealed by the hospital’s Executive Director, Dr. Juliet Nakku, while she appeared before Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on Monday, March 16, 2026.
Dr. Nakku painted a grim picture of a facility stretched to its breaking point, revealing that the hospital is grappling with critical staff shortages, infrastructure decay, and a massive funding gap.
She told the committee that a staggering Shs120 billion is required to address the systemic failures that are crippling care for the nation’s most vulnerable mental health patients.
She disclosed that the facility is struggling to function with only 14 psychiatric specialists on staff to cater to a patient population of over 1,000.
Dr. Nakku further revealed the dire situation on the wards, where the patient-to-nurse ratio has soared to 60 patients per nurse a burden she described as overwhelming and compromising the quality of care.
“This is not just challenging; it is overburdening. Our staff is working under extreme pressure, and this compromises the quality of care and attention that each patient desperately needs,” Dr. Nakku told the committee.
A monumental Shs120 billion injection is critical to bridging operational gaps, financing infrastructure repairs, and recruiting specialized staff to ensure humane care.
Dr. Nakku also emphasized that expanding mental health services to the community level is a necessity that would ensure early intervention and ease the immense pressure on Butabika Hospital.
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