The Ministry of Health is seeking Shs40 billion to procure 108 ambulances for constituencies that have not yet received the emergency vehicles, as government moves to strengthen emergency response and patient referral services across the country.
This was revealed by the Minister of Health, Dr. Chris Baryomunsi while presenting the ministry’s funding requirements for the 2026/2027 to the Health Committee on Thursday, 13 August 2026.
The ambulance funding is among several financial pressures facing the health sector, with the Ministry also reporting a substantial funding gap for the National Medical Stores (NMS).
According to Baryomunsi, NMS requires an additional Shs150 billion to ensure adequate supply of medicines at different referral levels.
“The shortfall comprises Shs46 billion for lower-level health facilities, Shs25.2 billion for regional referral hospitals, Shs50.2 billion for specialised health institutions and Shs28.6 billion for national referral hospitals,” he said.
He however stressed that increasing funding for medicines must go hand-in-hand with addressing concerns over their disappearance and misuse within health facilities.
Baryomunsi said his recent oversight visit in Mbarara district revealed conflicting accounts from health workers and patients about the availability and utilisation of government medicines.
“When you speak to health workers, when I went to Mbarara they say that when medicines are delivered patients come in numbers and consume them all, yet patients say that often when health workers prescribe four different drugs, you find that only one is provided,” said Baryomunsi.
The Mityana Municipality MP, Hon. Francis Zaake, said the challenge goes beyond medicine shortages, asking the newly appointed Minister to make the fight against corruption a priority.
“The main challenge of this sector is corruption, and it is everywhere, as for our hospital in Mityana many things have been stolen, from cameras to computers,” said Zaake.
Zaake also asked Baryomunsi to investigate reports of government medicines being smuggled across borders and crack the whip on corrupt health officials, starting with the Ministry leadership.
Other MPs used the meeting to highlight persistent healthcare challenges in their constituencies, including inadequate staffing, obsolete equipment and dilapidated infrastructure.
Kiryandongo District Woman MP, Hon. Jovia Katusime, asked the ministry to urgently repair the non-functional mortuary at Kiryandongo Hospital, saying its condition was particularly concerning because the facility receives numerous victims of road accidents.
“Kiryandongo hospital is on the way to Gulu, we always receive patients from road carnage, yet we have issues with a mortuary. Community members have called me that it stinks, it is in a bad state,” said Katusime.
Namisindwa District Woman MP, Hon. Peace Khalayi, said residents are forced to cross into neighbouring Kenya for medical care because the district lacks a Health Centre IV. She asked the Ministry to prioritise underserved districts through upgrading existing Health Centre IIIs.
The Ministry has identified Shs50 billion to begin upgrading 20 selected Health Centre IIIs to Health Centre IVs in high population constituencies that currently lack the facilities.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Parliament of the Republic of Uganda.
