Naguru Chinese-Uganda Friendship Hospital is facing intense criticism from Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) over dire mortuary conditions, where a facility designed for four bodies is reportedly holding 20 to 30 corpses at a time.
“This is a total violation of the rights of the dead persons. How can you just pile bodies in a mortuary with a capacity for four bodies? Dead people can't speak for themselves; it's us who can speak for them,” fumed MP Gorreth Namugga.
The committee also questioned the government’s inadequate funding for the hospital, which operates on a recurrent budget of just Shs1 billion.
MP Ssewungu asked, “How can you operate a whole Naguru hospital with a recurrent budget of only Shs1 billion?”
Serving a population of 4 million in Kampala with only 287 staff, the hospital has 908 vacant positions.
Officials revealed that 80% of critical medical equipment is overdue for disposal yet still in use, raising concerns over patient safety and service quality.
Hospital management disclosed that only Shs2 billion of the Shs4 billion required for medicines in the audited financial year was provided, further straining operations.
Lawmakers suggested extreme measures if adequate funding is not provided.
“If government can't fund the hospital, then let it be closed until they get money,” MP Namugga urged, stressing that patient care and mortuary dignity must not be compromised.
Earlier in the session, officials from Mulago Specialised Women and Neonatal Hospital were also scrutinized over poor vaccine storage practices, highlighting broader systemic challenges in Uganda’s health sector.