The government has released a total of sh13.39 billion for the upgrading of health centre IIIs to health centre IVs and for renovating existing health facilities in the financial year 2023/24. This move is in line with the government’s policy to ensure each constituency and sub-county has at least a health centre IV and III, respectively.
The allocation was disclosed in the report of the budget committee of Parliament on the National Budget Framework Paper for the financial year 2024/25 to 2028/29, which was approved with amendments on January 31, 2024.
During oversight visits, the committee noted that many health centre IIIs and IVs were in a dilapidated state, affecting health service delivery, particularly maternal and child health services, emergency services, and primary health care.
As a result, Parliament accepted the committee’s recommendation for an additional sh16.61 billion to be provided for the upgrading of health centre IIIs to health centre IVs and for the renovation of existing facilities. Additionally, sh7.7 billion was recommended for the completion of Computed Tomography (CT) scan housing.
The budget committee also urged the Ministry of Finance to release an additional sh16.2 billion in the financial year 2024/25 to facilitate the renovation and equipping of hospitals and health facilities. This move aims to reduce the need for patients to travel to regional hospitals, thereby de-congesting them and enabling them to provide specialized health care.
Furthermore, during budget scrutiny for the financial year 2023/24, Parliament was informed of various budget allocations for the construction and rehabilitation of regional referral hospitals across the country, including Arua, Fort Portal, Kiruddu, Gulu, Lira, and Soroti. These allocations are targeted at enhancing infrastructure and services at these health facilities to improve healthcare delivery nationwide.
