The Ministry of Health is seeking Shs40 billion to procure 108 ambulances for constituencies that have not yet received emergency vehicles, as government moves to strengthen emergency response and patient referral services across the country.
Health Minister Dr Chris Baryomunsi disclosed the funding requirement while presenting the ministry’s budget needs for the 2026/2027 financial year to the Parliamentary Health Committee on Thursday, 13 August 2026.
The proposed ambulance procurement is part of several funding pressures facing the health sector, including a Shs150 billion funding gap for National Medical Stores (NMS) to ensure adequate availability of medicines at different levels of healthcare.
Baryomunsi said the NMS shortfall includes Shs46 billion for lower-level health facilities, Shs25.2 billion for regional referral hospitals, Shs50.2 billion for specialised health institutions and Shs28.6 billion for national referral hospitals.
However, the Minister cautioned that increased funding for medicines must be accompanied by stronger measures to prevent their disappearance and misuse in health facilities.
He cited his recent oversight visit to Mbarara District, where he found conflicting accounts regarding the availability and distribution of government medicines.
According to Baryomunsi, health workers attributed medicine shortages to high patient numbers, while patients reported that they often received only a fraction of the medicines prescribed to them.
The concerns prompted Mityana Municipality MP Francis Zaake to call for a stronger focus on corruption within the health sector.
Zaake alleged that government resources and equipment are being stolen in some health facilities and urged the Minister to investigate reports of government medicines being smuggled across Uganda’s borders.
Meanwhile, MPs raised several challenges affecting healthcare delivery in their constituencies, including inadequate staffing, obsolete equipment and poor infrastructure.
Kiryandongo District Woman MP Jovia Katusime asked the Ministry to urgently repair the non-functional mortuary at Kiryandongo Hospital, warning that its poor condition poses a serious concern for a facility that receives many victims of road accidents.
Namisindwa District Woman MP Peace Khalayi also raised concerns over the lack of a Health Centre IV in the district, saying residents are sometimes forced to cross into neighbouring Kenya to access medical services.
In response to the infrastructure gaps, the Ministry has identified Shs50 billion to begin upgrading 20 selected Health Centre IIIs to Health Centre IVs in high-population constituencies that currently lack adequate health facilities.
