Mukono district and municipality leaders fight over control of general hospital
By Herbert Sseryazi
Mukono
Keep Reading
Mukono Municipality leaders have expressed dissatisfaction with the decision by the Ministry of Health to place Mukono General Hospital under administration of Mukono district.
The hospital that was formerly Mukono Health Center IV was elevated to a hospital status last year. The new status transferred its administration to Mukono District.
This has angered Mukono municipality councillors. This was raised by Mukono Mayor George Fred Kagimu in a meeting where he argued that that it was municipal councillors who helped elevate the facility to a hospital and not district councillors.
The councillors in the debate
He said, "It was part of the municipal council’s plans to have the Mukono Health Centre IV elevated to hospital status. Therefore the management rights should remain with the municipality leadership.”
But the Mukono district speaker Emmanuel Mbonye disagreed and insisted that the management of the general hospital should be under the district as stated by Dr Diana Atwine, the Ministry of Health Permanent Secretary.
In a December 12, 2019 letter from Dr Atwine, the MoH PS stated that understood the Health ministry policy, general hospitals are referral facilities meant to serve a population beyond the local government where they are located.
"Upon upgrading Mukono Health Centre IV to a general hospital status, administrative and management responsibility of the hospital, which is a public facility, should be transferred to Mukono district local government," states the letter.
Dr. Atwine advised the municipal leaders to upgrade Ggoma Health Center III to IV to cater for its growing population in order to reduce congestion at the Mukono General Hospital.
"I therefore urge Mukono municipality leadership to collaborate with Mukono district local government and ensure the transfer of the newly designated general hospital including the staff under the management of the district," Dr. Atwine wrote.
But the Mukono Municipality speaker Sylvia Kiwuka Nsimbe said there is need for the ministry to reconsider its decision and leave the municipality in charge of the hospital.
This prompted Mukono mayor Fred Kagimu to suggest that they petition the health and local government ministries to review Dr. Atwine's directive on the matter.
Hon. Johnson Muyanja Ssenyonga, the former mayor Mukono municipality, said that the permanent secretary ministry health was misled by some leaders from the district.
He stressed that the law allows municipals councils to run the such hospitals therefore the hospital should remain under municipality management.
Edited by David Tumusiime
