Uganda legislators call for more funding to fight Cancer as the number rises
Martin Muzale (Buzaya County) said communities were continuing to lose people to cancer, HIV and other illnesses while some constituencies were still waiting for promised ambulances. “People are dying,” the MP said. “Those who are sick of cancer, those who are sick of HIV and many other diseases.”
Oboth informed the House that Parliament had deposited Shs3 billion towards the Rotary Cancer Treatment Centre, bringing its cumulative institutional contribution to cancer-related support since 2012 to Shs10.2 billion.
KAMPALA - Members of Parliament have called for increased funding for cancer prevention, early detection and treatment, saying that Uganda’s growing cancer burden cannot be addressed without substantial investment in health infrastructure, screening equipment and specialised treatment services.
Discussing preparations for the Cancer Run scheduled for August 30, 2026, legislators expressed concern over the annual allocations towards cancer treatment and demanded that something be urgently done to strengthen cancer services beyond awareness campaigns.
This was after the Speaker of Parliament, Jackson Oboth, informed the house that Uganda records nearly 30,000 new cancer cases and more than 18,000 cancer-related deaths every year and yet the country has only three operational radiotherapy machines.
“This is a public health issue that demands immediate attention. As leaders, we need to take an active role in mobilising communities for cancer awareness and prevention,” he said.
Oboth informed the House that Parliament had deposited Shs3 billion towards the Rotary Cancer Treatment Centre, bringing its cumulative institutional contribution to cancer-related support since 2012 to Shs10.2 billion.
He urged MPs to lead cancer awareness activities in their constituencies and participate in the nationwide Cancer Run under the theme, “Gwanga Mujje, Nation Arise.”
“Let us run for those fighting, for those who have survived and in memory of those who have lost,” the Speaker said.
But during the debate, MPs said awareness alone would not be enough unless government provides adequate funding for early diagnosis and treatment.
MP Bernard Otim said after visiting the Uganda Cancer Institute, one of the most alarming findings was the shortage of equipment for cancer screening.
“The point of early detection, the point of creating awareness about cancer and the point of prevention are critical. The Uganda Cancer Institute currently has only one cancer screening van serving the entire country. This van moves throughout the country,” the legislator said.
“The information that we picked yesterday shows that this van was even a donation to the country, not purchased with Government of Uganda money,” Otim added.
According to the legislator, the Cancer Institute has repeatedly requested funds to purchase additional mobile screening vans but has not received the required financing.
“The team from the Cancer Institute indicated that they have budgeted for four consecutive years for them to buy more cancer screening vans but money has not been available,” the MP said.
The legislator appealed to Parliament to make cancer screening a priority in the next budget.
Martin Muzale (Buzaya County) said communities were continuing to lose people to cancer, HIV and other illnesses while some constituencies were still waiting for promised ambulances.
“People are dying,” the MP said. “Those who are sick of cancer, those who are sick of HIV and many other diseases.”
The legislator said MPs were increasingly being pressured by their constituents to personally provide ambulances, arguing that such responsibility should fall on government.
“Most of us MPs are under pressure to buy ambulances for our constituencies, which is not right,” the MP said, demanding an explanation from government on the delayed rollout.
In response, the state minister of Health in charge of Primary Health Care Dr. Charles Ayume, said government remained committed to decentralising ambulance services to the constituency level.
He said ambulances had been distributed to some constituencies in 2024, but the programme suffered a setback after funding that had been earmarked for additional ambulances was affected by changes in the budget.
“Every financial year Parliament would appropriate money to buy ambulances. However, you remember that stalled in financial year 2024/2025,” he said.
The minister said Shs27 billion had been provided for ambulances before the funding was affected by the wider budget reallocations.
He said Parliament later appropriated Shs20 billion for the purchase of 52 ambulances.
“Two of them are Type C ambulances, and 50 are Type B ambulances,” the minister said, adding that the procurement was also linked to preparations for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations.
The minister assured MPs that the ambulances would be distributed to constituencies.
“The 52 ambulances that we are buying are going to constituencies,” he said. “It is work in progress,” he said.
On cancer treatment, Dr. Ayume acknowledged that the disease remained a major burden to the country, both in terms of deaths and the economic cost to families and the health system.
“Yes, it is true that it is a high burden to the sector, to the country. The economic costs speak for themselves, but also the morbidity and the mortality,” he said.
He said Government, has begun decentralising cancer treatment to reduce the burden on the Uganda Cancer Institute in Kampala.
“We have now started decentralising it to regional level,” he said, noting that the first regional oncology centre in Gulu was complete.
Other regional cancer centres are planned for West Nile, Mbale and Mbarara, while additional facilities are also expected to increase the number of radiotherapy machines available in the country.
The minister said the expansion of regional centres was intended to ensure that patients from distant parts of the country no longer have to travel to Kampala for treatment.
“Instead of everybody coming from Kisoro, Koboko, Kanungu to Kampala to seek cancer services, we have now started decentralising it to regional level,” he said.
Dr. Ayume also highlighted prevention, including HPV vaccination for girls aged 10 to protect them against cervical cancer later in life, as well as efforts to address lifestyle and environmental risk factors.
But he said Parliament had a critical responsibility to ensure that the health sector receives the funding it needs.
“There are other causes of cancer that are housed in other sectors beyond the health sector,” he said, citing tobacco use, diet, aflatoxins and asbestos exposure.
“I would want to call on Parliament that during the budgeting cycle, please heed the pleas of the Health Committee and ensure that we allocate money.”
The minister also identified the long-delayed PET scanning project as a potential game changer in cancer diagnosis and treatment.
The project, which has taken more than six years to construct, is currently about 60 percent complete and has remained an unfunded priority for several financial years.
“One of the biggest game changers… will be the PET project, which has taken us over six years to construct,” the minister said.
He explained that many cancer patients are currently referred abroad specifically for PET scans.
“Many of the referrals abroad are purely for PET scanning,” he said, expressing hope that completion of the project next year could significantly reduce the number of Ugandans forced to seek cancer services outside the country.
“Once it is complete, we should be able to reduce cancer referrals abroad by half,” he said.