The Parliamentary Committee on Government Assurance and Implementation spent most of the day visiting government institutions in western Uganda to track the pledges made by the ruling government. The team of legislators, led by the Mityana District Parliamentarian Hon. Joyce Bagala, also visited Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital, the largest facility in Western Uganda, to assess the situation.
They toured the newly installed Computed Tomography (CT) Scan and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) machines, as well as the Oxygen Plants and Intensive Care Unit. The committee learned that Mbarara Referral Hospital continues to attract many people seeking CT scan services either due to non-functional CT scan machines or a lack of radiologists in the region’s referral hospitals.
It was reported that on a daily basis, Mbarara Referral Hospital performs scans on over 15 patients, some of whom are referred from other regional hospitals. Dr. Deus Twesigye, the Acting Hospital Director, added that imaging consumables are easily depleted as a result.
In the Intensive Care Unit, the Committee was shocked to learn that a hospital of such magnitude is equipped with only eight beds. It is reported that the hospital’s ICU often reaches full capacity, which adversely affects other patients in need of services.
Hon. Joyce Bagala urged the government to address the issue and prioritize the hospital accordingly. She also reassured Ugandans that as Parliamentarians, whose main objectives are oversight, legislation, and representing the populace, they will work to ensure taxpayers receive the desired services. Hon. Bagala further urged the government to make realistic commitments, noting that many of the newly installed CT scans are nonfunctional.
Halson Kagure, the Hospital’s Public Relations Officer, stated that the government has been supportive of the facility’s development, especially considering the rapid population growth they are coping with.
The Committee Chairperson also tasked Dr. Deus Twesigye with compiling a comprehensive report detailing the challenges faced by the hospital and the unfulfilled pledges, to engage the government on the way forward.
