Govt urged to support Muslim-founded health facilities

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The Deputy Mufti of the Ankole-Kigezi region, Sheikh Abdallah Katamba, has called for increased government funding to enhance healthcare services in Muslim-founded health centres across the region.

Sheikh Katamba expressed concern over the financial challenges these facilities face, which are hindering their ability to provide quality services to the community.

The Ankole-Kigezi region comprises 11 Muslim districts, but Sheikh Katamba noted that only seven have Muslim-founded health facilities. He attributed this to financial constraints that prevent some districts from establishing their own healthcare units.

He appealed to the government and other organisations for support to ensure that every Muslim district in the region has a fully operational health facility.

Sheikh Katamba made the appeal on Monday, March 10, while officiating at a one-day medical training workshop for the Ankole-Kigezi Muslim Region.

The training, organised in partnership with the Uganda Muslim Medical Bureau, took place at West Land Hotel in Mbarara city and was attended by district khadis, county sheikhs, and heads of Muslim health facilities.

During the training, health in-charges raised several challenges, including the lack of standard salaries, specialised equipment, and a telemedicine centre, with Sarah Tumuhirwe, the nursing in-charge of Mbarara Muslim Health Centre, highlighting the need for ambulances to improve referrals, staff quarters, and a poor patients’ fund to support underprivileged Muslim patients.

Sarah Nalubega, the in-charge of Biharwe Health Centre, stressed the need for more funds to conduct outreach programmes, alongside concerns over dilapidated structures.

“We appeal for external support and serious funding to expand these facilities, improve their functionality, and ensure quality care for our clients,” said Umar Masereka, one of the workshop facilitators.

Hajjat Dr Lubega Ajiri, a retired senior doctor, urged health workers to encourage the public to utilise these facilities effectively. She also called on the government to allocate more staff to these health units.

Rashid Lusiba, the Regional Secretary for Ankole-Kigezi, emphasised that even the existing health centres require substantial support to operate efficiently.

Meanwhile, Sheikh Katamba commended the organisers of the training but called for more capacity-building workshops to benefit all healthcare workers in the region.

According to Masereka, the workshop aimed to assess the functionality of Muslim health facilities, equip participants with skills to develop and operationalise facility-based business plans and create resource mobilisation strategies to improve expansion, infrastructure, equipment, and staffing.