Uganda: MPs Demand Action as X-ray Room Repairs in 20 Hospitals Stall Due to Procurement Violations
Legislators in Uganda have expressed their outrage over the stalled refurbishment of X-ray rooms in 20 hospitals, attributing the delays to the Ministry of Health’s failure to adhere to procurement guidelines. This issue was highlighted in a recent report by the Auditor General, which revealed significant non-compliance with Section 60(6) of the Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Assets (PPDA) Act, impacting various procurement processes.
The Auditor General’s report, covering the financial year ending December 2025, was discussed during a parliamentary session on April 2, 2026. The meeting involved the Committee on Public Accounts (Central Government) and officials from the Ministry of Health, including Permanent Secretary Dr. Diana Atwine.
Procurement Failures and Budget Utilization
The report criticized the Ministry of Health for not preparing a multi-year procurement plan for projects valued at Shs 3.43 billion. Despite the ministry utilizing 99.9% of its Shs 228.8 billion budget, Members of Parliament raised alarms regarding ongoing out-of-pocket expenses and underfunded immunization programs.
MP Patrick Nsamba from Kassanda County North highlighted the reliance on Non-Tax Revenue (NTR) collected from patients seeking specialized services, such as X-rays and scans at regional referral hospitals. He argued that the government should budget for these essential services to ensure they are provided free of charge to patients.
Financial Burdens on Patients
Dr. Atwine acknowledged the challenges posed by NTR projections, which are centrally controlled, restricting health facilities’ ability to plan independently. She cited the example of dialysis treatment at Kiruddu National Referral Hospital in Kampala, where the cost of a single session is approximately Shs 400,000. The government contributes Shs 215,000, leaving patients to cover the remaining Shs 150,000. With patients requiring at least three sessions per week, the financial burden can reach around Shs 1.2 million weekly.
Dr. Atwine noted that while services should ideally be fully subsidized, no country can meet all healthcare needs without a robust pooled financing mechanism, such as a National Health Insurance scheme.
Immunization Program Concerns
Hon. Gorreth Namugga, the deputy chairperson of the committee, raised concerns about delays and funding shortfalls in immunization programs. Uganda’s Expanded Programme on Immunisation now covers at least 14 diseases, yet some vaccines remain underfunded, forcing the ministry to seek supplementary budgets. Dr. Atwine confirmed that gaps have been identified and discussions with the Ministry of Finance have taken place, but late funding often hampers implementation.
Declining Donor Support
MP Joseph Ssewungu from Kalungu West County questioned the ministry’s dependence on external donors, noting a decline in contributions over the past five years. He emphasized the need for measures to address this funding gap.
Despite demonstrating strong budget absorption, the Auditor General’s report indicated that only 36 out of 51 planned outputs were fully implemented, representing Shs 148.3 billion in expenditure. The remaining 15 outputs, valued at Shs 80.2 billion, were only partially executed, leading to concerns about potential delays or cancellations of projects.
Commitment to Improvement
In response to the findings, Dr. Atwine attributed some gaps to system limitations, including previous challenges with the Electronic Government Procurement (e-GP) system. She assured the committee of improvements in planning and monitoring, stating that the ministry would enhance work-plan tracking and develop corrective action plans for partially implemented projects in the upcoming financial year.
Source: www.zawya.com
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Published on 2026-04-03 16:26:00 • By the Editorial Desk
