Parliament’s Health Committee has called for a different health funding model for Kampala, citing overwhelming patient numbers and pressure on the city’s health facilities.
The committee chairperson, Hon. Julius Rude, made the call during an oversight visit to Kampala health facilities, where MPs assessed service capacity, staffing and availability of essential supplies.
Rude said Kampala should no longer have Health Centre II facilities and proposed that the lowest level of health facility in the city should be Health Centre IV. He also called for separate funding categories for Kampala, highway districts, large districts and mountainous areas to reflect their different healthcare demands.
At Kisenyi Health Centre IV, MPs found that the facility treated 323,000 patients last year despite being designed to serve about 100,000 annually.
The Division Medical Officer, Dr Richard Walyomo, said medicines supplied by National Medical Stores often last only about two weeks, leaving the facility struggling to meet demand.
KCCA Deputy Executive Director Benon Kigenyi said Kampala serves not only city residents but also people from the wider metropolitan area, including about 170,000 registered urban refugees.
He said KCCA received Shs66.894 billion for health this financial year but still requires additional funding to recruit 317 health workers, procure medicines and upgrade health facilities.
KCCA is seeking Shs17 billion for recruitment, Shs8.5 billion for medicines and supplies, and Shs35 billion to upgrade two facilities to city hospital status.
Officials also highlighted shortages of diagnostic equipment, with only two KCCA facilities having ultrasound machines and three equipped with X-ray machines.
