KAMPALA, UGANDA – The Speaker of Parliament, Rt. Hon. Anita Among, has issued a strong directive to the Ministries of Health and Finance, urging them to prioritise a comprehensive national plan for upgrading and equipping dilapidated regional referral hospitals.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!The Speaker’s call comes as her office is inundated with petitions from local leaders across the country demanding financial support to rehabilitate health facilities in their regions.
The surge in requests was triggered by Parliament’s recent approval of a $20 million loan from the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa (BADEA) for the upgrade of Bugiri Hospital on Wednesday, September 10th.
The approval has seemingly opened the floodgates, highlighting the widespread and dire state of healthcare infrastructure beyond a single facility.
Speaker Among revealed that she has been contacted by leaders from numerous regions, including Soroti, who are now advocating for similar financial intervention.
“Upon the approval of the loan for upgrading of Bugiri hospital, I have received a number of petitions requesting that all their hospitals should be looked at,” Among stated.
Speaker Anita Among has emphasised that the healthcare system’s deteriorating conditions, including at key facilities like Soroti and Bugiri Regional Referral Hospitals, represent a national crisis requiring a systematic and multi-sectoral approach.
The issues range from severe physical decay and a lack of modern equipment to fundamental problems like poor accessibility and an unreliable electricity supply a critical failure for hospitals requiring constant power for life-saving equipment.
“I urged the Ministries of Health and Finance to prioritise the upgrading and proper equipping of referral hospitals so they can effectively fulfil their intended purpose,” Speaker Among reiterated.
Her call for a comprehensive government plan suggests a move away from ad-hoc, project-based upgrades towards a coordinated national strategy to revive the country’s ailing public health system and ensure all Ugandans have access to quality healthcare.
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