This has impacted how the hospital serves the roughly 3.7 million people it serves throughout its six districts in terms of vital healthcare services.
Entebbe Regional Referral Hospital is currently experiencing a water crisis as a result of the National Water and Sewerage Corporation cutting off service due to accumulated unpaid bills totaling sh488 million.
Entebbe Regional Referral hospital
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It comes after several previous notices sent to the facility.
The annual budget for water in the hospital, according to senior administrator Richard Tumwesigye, is about sh120 million.
The Ministry of Finance expressed worry over the delayed payments in a letter dated June 1 to the Managing Director of the National Water and Sewerage Corporation, and it promised that the government will make up the shortfall in the medium term.
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The ministry also asked National Water to re-establish connections with promises that money owed would be paid.
However, the firm answered the following day, refusing the ministry's request while highlighting the current, urgent need.
The state's minister of finance, Henry Musasizi, blamed inadequate planning for the situation and reaffirmed the government's commitment to seeing to it that the water is turned back on and the dues are paid.
The main factor is inadequate planning. The hospital will continue to operate normally because we will pay the bills.
However, as observed by Dr. Silver Mugisha, the corporation's managing director, the water problem has been a pattern across a number of government ministries and organisations, with approximately sh19 billion in unpaid water bills between July 2022 and March 2023.
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However, the Ministry of Finance has agreed to budget for and pay the backlog.
The event occurs as Naguru Referral Hospital, which is in debt of Sh1.3 billion, is also dealing with a similar situation and has had its water supply cut off.
