Health Committee Recommends Halt On Lubowa Hosp Budget.
The parliamentary committee of health has recommended the budget committee to stay approval of Shs319bn for Lubowa Hospital and reallocate the money into Rehabilitating and Equipping the available hospitals and health centers fours.
The budget committee is also hesitant to approve a request by the ministry of health for more Shs652bn to mitigate the anticipated COVID 19 resurgence.
While appearing before the parliamentary committee of budget to defend the Budgetary allocations for the ministry of health, the chairperson of the health committee of parliament Dr. Charles Ayume recommended the budget committee reallocate the Shs319bn for Lubowa International Specialized Hospital into improving lower-level health facilities, especially health center Fours.
Ayume told the committee that the last time the health committee visited Lubowa they were disappointed with what they found on the ground with the site stalled at the foundation level.
The health committee of parliament also wants the government to halt the construction of new hospitals and concentrate the available resources on equipping rehabilitating and resourcing the available dilapidated hospitals and health centers fours; a proposal that has been supported overwhelmingly by the budget committee.
The ministry of health seeks Shs368bn to construct 135 health center threes and Shs51bn to upgrade 30 Health center fours and 11.8bn for rehabilitation of Soroti Hospital which has not been funded in the next financial year budget.
Budget committee members have protested another request for Shs625bn by the ministry of health to mitigate the anticipated resurgence of COVID 19 in the future.
The health committee has also called on MPs to stop buying fake ambulances and instead approve the allocation of Shs5.6bn required by the ministry of health to fund the establishment of the National Ambulance Service system.
