The construction of new health centers has been stopped to pave way for staffing and rehabilitation of existing ones, Amama Mbabazi the Ugandan Prime Minister said yesterday.
Mr Mbabazi, who made the revelation while presenting the government’s SHS 175.6 billion budget before parliament’s Presidential Affairs Committee, said: “Until we have staff and enough drugs in the existing ones, there is no need to build others.”
However, MPs said the Prime Minister’s office, which is mandated to monitor government programmes, was not instrumental in having an operational healthcare system. But Mr Mbabazi said service delivery tracking in all sectors would not be readily achieved due to budgetary constraints in his ministry.
Drugs and staff shortages
Mbabazi added that the government also needed to “restructure and reform the provision of drugs to the existing health centres”. A lack of drugs and medical personnel has been the most common problem affecting health centers in the country. A report by the United Nations Population Fund released last month indicates that Uganda needs at least another 2,000 midwives. The Uganda Bureau of Statistics reports one midwife for every 15,000 women in the country. In rural areas, 1,533 more midwives are needed in all health facilities compared to the 431 midwives needed in urban health facilities.
MP Jessica Ababiku (Adjumani) said the government should motivate health workers to prevent them from going to Sudan where pay is better. She said: “Staffing the health centres is one thing but retaining them is another.”
According to Ministry of Health Permanent Secretary Asuman Lukwago, there are 5,000 health units in the country, ranging from regional referrals to health centres, but some are yet to be equipped with drugs and staff.