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President Yoweri Museveni has announced plans to expand healthcare infrastructure and improve access to affordable water in Kampala.
The government, he said, plans to build three more major government hospitals in Kawempe, Kampala Central and Rubaga divisions.
Speaking on Sunday, at a rally concluding his wealth creation tour of Kampala and Wakiso, the President addressed the current state of healthcare services, particularly concerning Kiruddu and Kawempe hospitals.
These two facilities, opened in 2016, were originally constructed to decongest Mulago National Referral Hospital, the country's largest public hospital.
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Kawempe General Hospital, located in Kawempe Division, was built as a specialised hospital focusing on maternal and child health, aiming to reduce maternal and neonatal mortalities.
Kiruddu General Hospital, situated in Makindye Division, was intended to handle infectious diseases and other general cases, also with the goal of easing the patient burden on Mulago.
Both hospitals were built with funding from the African Development Bank and the Nigeria Trust Fund.
However, President Museveni noted that the Ministry of Health had elevated Kiruddu and Kawempe to referral hospital status, which deviated from their initial purpose of serving as district-level facilities.
"We built two hospitals, one in Kiruddu and the other in Kawempe, but the Ministry of Health people turned them into referral hospitals, yet they were supposed to take the load off Mulago Hospital so that the people in Kawempe and Makindye do not run to Mulago first," Museveni stated.
The hospitals, according to the president, were meant to handle most cases within their respective areas, thereby streamlining the referral system and ensuring Mulago remained a true national referral centre for complex cases.
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Kawempe Referral Hospital
Expanding Healthcare Infrastructure
To rectify this, President Museveni revealed plans for the construction of three additional government hospitals in Kampala.
These new facilities will be strategically located in Rubaga Division, Kampala Central, and Nakawa Division.
"Our plan was to build another hospital in Rubaga Division, another in Kampala Central and another in Nakawa, and we indeed are going to build them," he affirmed.
Upon the completion of these new hospitals, the President intends to revert Kiruddu and Kawempe hospitals to their original design as district-level facilities. "
When we do, I want Kiruddu and Kawempe Hospitals to go back to becoming district-level hospitals and not referral hospitals," he stressed.
President Yoweri Museveni
Affordable Water Initiative with Pre-Metered Taps
Beyond healthcare, President Museveni also addressed the challenge of water accessibility and affordability for city residents.
He recounted learning about the exorbitant prices people were paying for water, with a jerrycan costing as much as Shs 200, approximately 15 years ago.
In response, his administration initiated a project to install public taps, establishing around 4,000 such points across Kampala.
“These taps are still there, but now they are going to change them and make them prepaid so that you can pay and fetch water till your money runs out."
This new pre-metered system is projected to drastically reduce the cost of water, with a jerrycan priced at an affordable Shs 25, a substantial decrease from the current rate.