URN.Martin Ssejjemba, the Mpigi district LC V Chairperson, says health is a critical issue but the major challenge is the lack of a district hospital which leads to the low supply of drugs in their area.
Authorities in Mpigi district want the government to expedite the process of upgrading Mpigi Health Center IV to a district hospital so as to improve health service delivery to residents. They argue that Mpigi is one of the indigenous districts that have given birth to 3 other districts and is currently home to about 187,800.
They argue that upgrading the facility to a hospital would help them provide emergency and ambulances services, which are currently unavailable. Martin Ssejjemba, the Mpigi district LC V Chairperson, says health is a critical issue but the major challenge is the lack of a district hospital which leads to the low supply of drugs in their area. https://googleads.g.doubleclick.net/pagead/ads?client=ca-pub-1885173889378683&output=html&h=345&adk=1590975256&adf=1765694914&pi=t.aa~a.3933768198~i.3~rp.1&w=414&lmt=1658075831&num_ads=1&rafmt=1&armr=3&sem=mc&pwprc=9833304535&psa=1&ad_type=text_image&format=414×345&url=https%3A%2F%2Fugandaradionetwork.net%2Fstory%2Fupgrade-mpigi-health-center-to-district-hospital-leaders-appeal&fwr=1&pra=3&rh=320&rw=384&rpe=1&resp_fmts=3&sfro=1&wgl=1&fa=27&dt=1658075831268&bpp=4&bdt=6646&idt=-M&shv=r20220707&mjsv=m202207110101&ptt=9&saldr=aa&abxe=1&cookie=ID%3Dc1bda313e4e7f53e-221c03f543d4004a%3AT%3D1657530512%3ART%3D1657530512%3AS%3DALNI_MaZoou0bEy-S-_7ZgVy6Khus9bbvw&gpic=UID%3D000008d28ce9b647%3AT%3D1658073354%3ART%3D1658073354%3AS%3DALNI_Ma04ZvcsHn54KjFRPPxFvxgPBIUKg&prev_fmts=384×1417%2C414x345%2C414x345%2C0x0%2C414x345&nras=3&correlator=8767406218313&frm=20&pv=1&ga_vid=394590582.1657529785&ga_sid=1658075825&ga_hid=318104420&ga_fc=1&u_tz=180&u_his=33&u_h=896&u_w=414&u_ah=896&u_aw=414&u_cd=32&u_sd=2&adx=0&ady=1727&biw=414&bih=715&scr_x=0&scr_y=0&eid=44759876%2C44759927%2C44759837%2C31068418%2C42531606%2C44764002&oid=2&pvsid=1075743719244648&tmod=2068900453&nvt=1&ref=https%3A%2F%2Fugandaradionetwork.net%2Fa%2Farchive.php%3FstatusId%3D4&eae=0&fc=384&brdim=0%2C0%2C0%2C0%2C414%2C0%2C414%2C896%2C414%2C715&vis=1&rsz=%7C%7Cs%7C&abl=NS&fu=128&bc=31&ifi=6&uci=a!6&btvi=4&fsb=1&xpc=UAsikAv9KG&p=https%3A//ugandaradionetwork.net&dtd=13
He says that their efforts to have the health center upgraded to a hospital have not yielded results. According to Ssejjemba, they recieved Shillings 400milion in the previous budget, which they used to equip the theater.
Ssejjemba explained that the absence of a district hospital negatively affects them in terms of allocation of resources, medical supplies, and required personnel. He says that as a result, residents travel long distances to access specialized services from either Entebbe, Wakiso District, Gombe in Butambala, or Mulago National Referral Hospital in Kampala.
In the same vein, Ssejjemba says there is a need to upgrade health center IIs in Buwama Town Council, and the Muduuma sub-county to health Center IV given the huge number of patients. Benon Nsamba, the Mpigi District Secretary for Education and Health, says that they have made efforts to lobby for a hospital, but the process is rather slow.
Away from the infrastructure, Nsamba said that the district health sector is also facing a challenge of understaffing where most of the health centers lack key personnel. He reveals that there are vacant posts at the health centers and that the available personnel lack staff quarters, which stifles health service delivery.
Harriet Nalumu, a member of the executive, argues that Mpigi health center IV cannot operate in case of a power outage due to the lack of a generator. She said that the health center has no medicines, which affects the treatment of patients. Mpigi, one of the oldest local government units in Uganda was split in 2000 to give birth to the Wakiso district. It was further split to create Butambala and Gomba districts.
