The Leader of Opposition, Joel Senyonyi, and his delegation of opposition MPs were denied access to the construction site of Lubowa Specialized Hospital by police and UPDF soldiers during an oversight visit. This was three months after Parliament approved Shs2.7Bn to the Ministry of Health for supervision works at the facility.
Senyonyi and his team arrived at a closed gate manned by police officers at the site of Lubowa Super Specialized Hospital in Wakiso. Despite having clearance from the Minister of Health, Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng, the police officers refused to grant them access. They insisted on obtaining express permission from the Ministry of Health and Police. The MPs wondered why public funds were spent on a project out of bounds for parliamentary scrutiny.
In March 2019, Parliament approved the request by the Ministry of Finance to issue promissory notes for the construction of Lubowa Hospital valued at USD379.71m approximately (Shs1.442Trn). The project was expected to be completed in two years by FINASI International, who would then run the hospital for six years before it reverts to the Government. However, the project has been engulfed in numerous scandals five years later.
The opposition decided to escalate the matter to the floor of Parliament to push for a halt on further funding of the project and save funds for Health Center IVs. The Government has injected close to Shs600bn in the project, which was meant to carry 54 Oncology beds, 27 infectious disease beds, 27 medical beds, 16 VIP beds, eight ICU beds, 60 outpatient beds, 54 surgery beds, 27 pediatrics beds, 27O BGYN beds, 16 intensive care, 8 neo-natal ICU beds, and 11 operating theatres. Recently, Parliament approved another Shs2.7bn for the Ministry of Health to supervise stalled construction.
