Africa-Press – Uganda. Leaders in Bukono constituency, Namutumba District, are seeking Shs20m to buy two acres of land for the construction of a health centre IV.
The Ivukula Town Council chairperson, Mr Noah Nduga, at the weekend said the Ministry of Health agreed to construct the health centre IV if they find land.
“We had enough land but it was encroached on by private developers who are using it for farming and housing development,” Mr Nduga said.
He said councillors passed the resolution to buy land after the ministry demanded it.
Mr Moses Kisame, the Ivukula Sub-county chairperson, said residents are currently given first aid instead of conventional treatment due to lack of a health centre IV.
He said the only health centre III offers limited services as opposed to blood transfusion services and oxygen therapy, among others.
Mr Robert Kaigo, a resident of Kakola Village in Nangonde Sub-county, said the health centre IV will also provide caesarean surgical operations.
Encroachers warned
The Lands State Minister, Ms Persis Namuganza, who is also the area MP, advised those who grabbed and settled on the health centre land to vacate to allow construction of a health centre IV.
“We had enough land but it was grabbed by unknown people; I am yet to find out who they are,” she said.
Mr Patrick Mutyaba, the district vice chairperson, said resolutions to elevate Ivukula health centre III were submitted to the Ministry of Health.
The district health officer, Dr James Kirya, said it is a government policy to have a health centre IV at constituency level and a health centre III per sub-county.
He added that the construction of a health centre IV is done in a phased manner.
He, however, said Namutumba has two constituencies without a health centre IV, which include Ivukula and Busiki North.
While launching mass vaccination in Mayuge District last week, the Minister of Health, Dr Jane Ruth Aceng, said she was looking for money to elevate health centre IIs to health centre IIIs in sub-counties that don’t have.
“Money is adequate for about 324 upgrades in the country yet there are more than 2,400 sub-counties, up from about 1,693 before Parliament created more sub-counties. I, therefore have a backlog of more than 800 sub-counties to put health centre IIIs,” Dr Aceng said.
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