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Butabika National Referral Mental Hospital authorities are seeking sh5b to complete the construction of the facility's perimeter wall fence.

The unfunded priority forms part of the entity’s ministerial policy statement for the 2024/25 financial year (FY) that executive director of Butabika Hospital Dr Juliet Nakku submitted on Monday, March 25, 2024.  

The submission was before Parliament committee on health chaired by Charles Ayume (Koboko Municipality, NRM). 

“The issue of our wall which is half done. We really need funds to complete this wall, otherwise, it’s going to begin to deteriorate. It’s been two or three years without any construction money to complete it,” Nakku said.

Juliet Nakku, Butabika hospital director, and Kabuye Edward, principal Butabika hospital director, before the committee. (Photo by Maria Wamala)

She added: “It has taken a very long time and it really has an impact on the way we care for people but also for the land. So, if that would come, we would really be happy. We have raised it for a long time".  

The concern comes amid a hike in mental health admissions at the facility.

Official records show that in the year under review (2023/24), the facility had planned to handle 3,984 patients in the first and second quarter, only for the number to increase to 4,198.

Overall, sh4b was spent, thus far on this output and several others including feeding inpatients, radiology investigations and lab investigations.  

MPs respond

Margaret Ayebare (Mbarara District Woman MP, NRM) labelled this funding gap as grave given the nature of patients, the facility admits. She also further warned that the facility is at risk of its land being grabbed.

(Photo by Maria Wamala)

“I have been to Butabika several times going in to check on patients from my district and you wonder how these health workers and people working in Butabika keep on looking after these patients. How I wish we would secure some funds to ensure that Butabika Hospital gets the perimeter wall,” Ayebare said.

(Photo by Maria Wamala)

“As a country, we have seen a transition from infections to non-communicable diseases and from NCDs, we were told close to 10 or 15 million of us are mentally challenged. That means we need to integrate mental health issues in the entire health system beyond Butabika,” Dr George Boka (Obongi county, NRM) said.

Butabika unfunded priorities

All said and done, in the coming financial year, Butabika requires an additional sh1.6b for construction of 12 staff houses, sh2.5b for expansion of the laboratory and sh1.5b in respect to construction of a records storage.

In the same respect, sh60m is needed for project monitoring and supervision.

Overall, Butabika’s projected budget for the forthcoming fiscal year stands at sh22.2b.