Referral hospitals' budget slashed

By Mary Karugaba

Despite the poor state of Uganda referral hospitals, Government has cut their budgets by sh7.7b to cater for “other priority areas”.

According to a supplementary budget request presented to Parliament for approval, most of the cuts went to support poverty reduction sectors.

Mulago Hospital suffered the biggest cut of sh5b followed by Butabika Hospital (sh848), Moroto Hospital (321) Jinja Hospital (sh210), Arua Hospital (202m), Lira (sh62) and Kabale hospital (sh34).

Finance state Minister Matia Kasaija told MPs on the Budget Committee that the reduction in budget support by development partners of sh298b affected the operation of several sectors and the government had to make suppressions to ensure continuity.

“As a result of the cuts, Government had to continue releasing money to poverty reduction sectors to enable them perform at least 95% of the approved budget in order not to undermine poverty reduction initiatives and growth prospects,” he said.

“It is partly due to these reasons that Government is borrowing funds from the domestic market to partly finance supplementary expenditures now before you,” he added.

The MPs however rejected the request arguing that most Hospitals were already in a bad state and any cut would affect the state of health service delivery in the country.

“We all know the state of our referral Hospitals in this country. They are no drugs, no health workers, no water, and no furniture and here is government cutting even the little they have. This, we cannot accept,” MP Rose Akol said.

MPs Sam Lyomoki, Lilly Adong and Dr. Jeremiah Twa Twa though supported the cuts in other sectors, they said, referral hospitals budgets should not be tampered with.

Lyomoki questioned some of the funds being requested for such as sh5b to combat the outbreak of Ebola disease in the North and Marburg disease in Kabale, Mbarara and Ibanda Districts.

“There is no more Ebola in the North, why are you requesting for this money?” he asked.

The Director Budget in the Ministry of Finance Patrick Ochailap said, most of the money has been spent and the Government only wants approval as required by law.

The MPs were however grateful to the Government for having fulfilled its commitment of providing sh48.3b to cater for the recruitment of Health workers and Health Center IIIs ad IVs in various parts of the Country.

During the approval process for the year2012/13 budget, the Government provided sh6.5b for recruitment of health workers and made a commitment to provide the balance sh48b in the course of the year.  Already a total of 10,231 jobs were advertised last year.