Africa-Press – Uganda. The Executive Director of Kiruddu National Referral Hospital, Dr. Charles Kabugo, has revealed that the hospital has not yet received any formal communication regarding President Yoweri Museveni’s proposal to downgrade the facility from a national referral hospital to a district hospital.
Kabugo made the disclosure while appearing before the Parliamentary Public Accounts Committee to respond to queries raised in the 2024/25 Auditor General’s report.
“This was a pronouncement made during the campaigns, and we have been waiting for an official communication. We have consulted the Minister of Health to guide us on whether we should plan our new structure based on the possibility of a downgrade, or maintain our current status as a national referral hospital,” he said.
Kabugo added that while hospital officials have received verbal assurances that operations should continue as usual, no written directive has been issued.
“Verbally, we have been told to keep the same course, but there is no written communication to that effect,” he said.
The comments came in response to questions from MPs Gorreth Namugga (Mawogola South) and Fredrick Angura (Tororo South), who sought clarification on the status of the proposed downgrade.
In July 2025, during his Parish Development Model (PDM) tour in Kampala, President Museveni expressed dissatisfaction with the Ministry of Health’s decision to upgrade Kawempe Hospital and Kiruddu hospitals to national referral levels.
The President argued that this expansion, which allows the facilities to handle more complex cases, deviates from their original mandate of decongesting Mulago National Referral Hospital and serving local communities.
Following Kabugo’s remarks, MP Namugga questioned the rationale behind the President’s statement, asking, “Could it be by virtue of the services you provide that Kiruddu is meant to be a district hospital? Why reduce its status when it is equipped as a national referral hospital?”
Kabugo attributed the misunderstanding to community expectations at the time of the hospital’s establishment.
“When Kiruddu Hospital was created, the residents of Makindye were excited to receive a major hospital. However, they were told that maternity and pediatric services would continue at Kawempe Hospital, while Kiruddu would focus on internal medicine and plastic surgery. The community, expecting a full-service hospital, was disappointed,” he said.
Kabugo further noted that the issue was not with the hospital’s capacity or scope but with local demand for expanded services.
“When residents met the President in Kawempe, they expressed gratitude for the hospital but highlighted that women could not deliver there. The concern was expansion, not scope,” he said.
Kabugo also pointed out logistical challenges in expanding services within Kiruddu Hospital’s existing infrastructure.
“It is difficult to divide a 200-bed hospital in Kampala to provide every specialty. Doing so could mean only three or four beds per specialty, which is not feasible,” he said.
The hospital continues to operate at its current capacity while awaiting formal guidance on any changes to its status.
