By Livia Namukose
In a recent plenary sitting on Thursday 8th August, Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja revealed a significant reform in the health sector aimed at enhancing the capabilities of health centre IVs. During a plenary session, chaired by Deputy Speaker Thomas Tayebwa, Nabbanja detailed the government’s plan to elevate health centre IVs to community hospitals.
According to Nabbanja, this initiative is based on the Ministry of Health’s Draft National Health Policy 2024. The reform involves upgrading health centre IVs with a current capacity of 24 beds to community hospitals with 60 beds. This transition will occur in stages, with priority given to health centre IVs in areas with high populations and to the 135 constituencies which are currently lacking such facilities, considering factors like geographical access and resource availability.
Nabbanja’s comments came in response to a query from Omoro County MP, Hon. Andrew Ojok, about progress on the presidential directive to build a hospital in each district. She highlighted that upgrading to community hospitals would be more cost-effective compared to constructing general hospitals in the 82 districts that currently lack them. While constructing and equipping a general hospital cost approximately Shs 70 billion, a community hospital costs about Shs 12 billion.
Additionally, Nabbanja noted that operational costs are significantly lower for community hospitals. The annual recurrent costs for a general hospital amount to Shs 12.238 billion, whereas a community hospital’s annual operational costs are around Shs 4 billion.
The Prime Minister also provided an update on previous health sector improvements, stating that 381 health centre IIs have been upgraded to health centre III status since the 2018/2019 financial year. Currently, 87 percent of sub-counties and town councils have a functioning health centre III. Furthermore, 31 health centre IIIs are under construction, with Shs 4 billion needed to cover the remaining 488 sub-counties.
This reform is set to address significant gaps in health service delivery, offering a more efficient and cost-effective solution to improving healthcare infrastructure across the country.
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