KAMPALA, UGANDA – Leaders of Uganda’s top referral hospitals have warned that persistent funding shortages are making it increasingly difficult to provide even the most basic meals for a growing number of patients.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!The stark revelation comes as conditions deteriorate at Mulago National Referral Hospital, while leaders at Butabika National Referral Mental Hospital attribute their worsening crisis to the complete absence of forensic psychiatry services.
Appearing before Parliament’s Health Committee, Mulago Hospital Executive Director Rosemary Byanyima revealed that the hospital spends only 2,256 Uganda Shillings (about 60 cents) per patient per day on food.
She described the meals as barely basic, explaining that the hospital can only afford two meals a day, usually porridge for breakfast and posho or rice with beans for lunch, with milk supplements reserved for only the most critical patients.
Many patients are poor referrals from other hospitals with no family support. Yet Byanyima stressed that food is medicine, and without it, patients will not respond well to treatment.
“At Mulago Hospital, we can manage only 2,256 shillings per patient per day on food. With this, we are able to provide usually porridge for breakfast and posho or beans for lunch, with milk reserved only for our most critical patients. Many of our patients are poor referrals with no family support, yet we know that food is medicine; without it, they will not respond well to treatment,” stated Rosemary.
Mulago estimates it needs at least four billion shillings per year to feed its 1,500 beds properly, leaving a funding gap of 2.6 billion shillings against its current annual feeding budget of 1.4 billion shillings.
Butabika National Referral Mental Hospital Executive Director Juliet Nakku has raised an urgent issue, warning that Uganda has no forensic psychiatry services, including secure wards to assess and treat suspects with mental disorders.
Nakku also highlighted rising demand for geriatric psychiatry, explaining that as Ugandans live longer, more elderly patients need specialized mental health care instead of being mixed with the general patient population.
“Uganda has no forensic psychiatry services. We lack secure wards to assess and treat suspects with mental disorders, and we have no trained specialists in this field. We are seeing rising demand for geriatric psychiatry because Ugandans are living longer, yet we cannot continue mixing elderly mental health patients with the general population,” Nakku remarked.
She admitted that while the hospital’s approved structure includes roles for elderly care, there are no trained specialists due to limited funding for advanced training.
Butabika’s budget has risen significantly to 46.83 billion shillings for 2026/27, up from 22.84 billion shillings in the current year. The boost covers wages, recurrent spending, and development, including money to complete a perimeter wall for better security and to stop land encroachment.
Despite the increase, the hospital boss pointed to other problems, including a very old hospital vehicle fleet, with some vehicles over 20 years old, which makes it hard to reach patients in the community.
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