The recent parliamentary approval of a USD20 million loan for the extensive upgrade of Bugiri General Hospital has triggered a wave of demands from across the country, with Speaker of Parliament Anita Among revealing that her office has been inundated with petitions for similar interventions in other dilapidated health facilities.
On Wednesday, September 10, 2025, Parliament authorized the government to borrow USD20 million from the Arab Bank for Economic Development of Africa (BADEA) to finance the rehabilitation, expansion, and equipping of Bugiri General Hospital.
However, the approval has opened a floodgate of requests from various leaders, prompting Speaker Among to advocate for a more comprehensive approach from the Ministry of Health.
“Upon the approval of the loan for upgrading of Bugiri hospital yesterday, I have received a number of petitions requesting that all their hospitals should be looked at,” Speaker Among stated.
She emphasized the urgent need for a systematic review of the country’s health infrastructure, urging the Ministry of Health to take a holistic view. “I think the Ministry of Health needs to comprehensively look at the hospitals which are in a dilapidated state. The petition I received this morning was from Soroti hospital but to leave Soroti alone, there are other so many hospitals that need to be looked at so that we see how we can be able to work on a number of hospitals,” she added.
Among specifically highlighted the critical condition of Kamuli Hospital, recommending it for immediate refurbishment. “If you look at Kamuli hospital, they call it Mulago, that hospital receives patients from Buyende, from everywhere. That hospital in Kamuli should actually also be worked on with all requisite needs,” she stressed, underscoring its pivotal role in serving a wide catchment area.
In a related appeal, the Speaker also called upon the government to consider deploying health workers, particularly midwives and gynaecologists, to private hospitals that are providing essential services. Citing her own 200-bed hospital in Bukedea, where women give birth for free, she noted the need for government to supplement her medical team to enhance service delivery.
Meanwhile, Charles Ayume, the Member of Parliament for Koboko Municipality, urged Ugandans not to “demonise” the government for prevailing shortfalls in the health sector. He revealed that significant advancements are on the horizon, including a major heart treatment facility soon to be established in Nakawa West, the constituency represented by the Leader of Opposition, Joel Ssenyonyi, which he stated would be one of the largest in Africa.
