As Uganda gears up for the reading of the national budget on June 15, 2025, Shadow Health Minister Dr. Timothy Batuwa is urging government to prioritise emergency healthcare by addressing chronic funding shortfalls in the sector.
Speaking during a budget analysis session organised by the Uganda Parliamentary Press Association (UPPA), Dr. Batuwa painted a grim picture of the country’s emergency response capacity, particularly for patients brought to hospitals unconscious or without accompanying relatives.
"At least those people can buy the life-saving drugs or have them in stock to start the process of saving lives," he noted, calling for a dedicated funding mechanism.
Dr. Batuwa proposed that part of the funds generated through private wings in public hospitals be redirected into specialized Accident and Emergency (A&E) accounts.
These funds, he argued, should be ring-fenced to support critical and urgent medical responses, especially in cases where time is the difference between life and death.
He also criticized the government’s one-size-fits-all approach to healthcare policy, noting that uniform policies fail to consider the unique needs of diverse regions.
“Somebody thinks for the local government and also thinks for Gulu. Blanket policies are not viable,” he stated, urging for decentralized planning to empower local health facilities to respond to context-specific challenges.
Uganda's health budget currently stands at 6.3% of the national budget — well below the Abuja Declaration target of 15% that African Union member states committed to in 2001. “For optimum support, we needed at least 10.8 trillion shillings, but managed only 4.53 trillion,” Dr. Batuwa revealed.
As part of broader health promotion efforts, Dr. Batuwa also called for gym equipment to be zero-rated in tax policy.
He argued that making fitness equipment more accessible would encourage healthier lifestyles and reduce the national burden of obesity-related diseases such as diabetes and hypertension.
Batuwa’s remarks come at a time when stakeholders across sectors prepare for the upcoming budget reading.
With Uganda’s public health system under mounting strain, from the Trump Executive Order that came with immense cuts from USAID , many are watching closely to see whether the 2025/26 budget will address long-standing funding gaps or continue to fall short of sector needs.