Mulago Hospital seeks Shs16b for staff accommodation

In August 2021, the former Mulago hospital executive director, Dr Baterana Byarugaba, revealed that the government had embarked on a Shs30.2b project to construct their staff accommodation, to be undertaken by the Contractor-Block Technical Services.

Mulago top management has asked Parliament’s Committee on Health to push Ministry of Finance officials to avail the Ministry of Health with Shs16b for the construction of accommodation facilities for the staff of the national referral hospital.   In August 2021, the former Mulago hospital executive director, Dr Baterana Byarugaba, revealed that the government had embarked on a Shs30.2b project to construct their staff accommodation, to be undertaken by the Contractor-Block Technical Services.   As she appeared before the committee to defend the hospital’s budget framework paper for Financial Year 2023/2024, the acting executive director of Mulago hospital, Dr Rosemary Byanyima, said the dire need to house their staff close to the hospital was mostly highlighted during countrywide lockdown after the country was struck by Covid-19 pandemic two years ago.

“We need those houses completed so that we have more staff staying close the hospital,” Dr Byanyima said.

The matter came to the forefront after Obongi County MP George Bhoka tasked the Mulago top brass to update Parliament on the progress of their proposed staff accommodation facilities.

“Staff house construction is very key. It disturbs me that you have not put absolute figures. How many staff are housed?” Ms Bhoka inquired.

To clearly highlight the crisis surrounding the accommodation concern at Mulago, the facility’s administration director, Mr David Nuwamanya, told the MPs that the hospital requires at least 1,380 housing facilities.

Of these, only 416 are in place and of which only 100 units are decent enough to house the medical personnel deployed at the national referral hospital.

On a sad note still, some of the available facilities in place are wooden structures while others are roofed with outlawed asbestos sheets.

Lawmakers promised to support their request for the Ministry of Finance to avail the funds, with the Jinja Municipality West MP, Dr Timothy Batuwa, reasoning that the government should be provided with the chance to restore sanity in Uganda’s medical sector.

“Because Ugandans haven’t appreciated the health service care delivery at Mulago and other care centres, it is our time to make decisions that can transform Mulago hospital,” Dr Batuwa said.

Whereas lawmakers, agreed to the proposal to support Mulago’s cause, the management was tasked to avail a detailed breakdown to be tabled before the Ministry of Finance.

“They should feed us with justification, which is why we asked them to come back with those documents so that we can make a strong case before the Ministry of Health,” Dr Batuwa said.

As the MPs promised to push for the inclusion of the Shs16b in next year’s Budget, the committee chairperson, Dr Charles Ayume, demanded that a clear roadmap towards implementation of the construction project be availed.

Source: Monitor