Residents of Kanoni Town Council in Gomba District have appealed to President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni to prioritize the district’s worsening healthcare crisis as he begins his new term in office, warning that continued neglect is eroding public confidence in leadership.
They say they could no longer wait for long-term promises to materialise and felt compelled to raise their concerns immediately as the President embarks on another term of governance.
While Gomba continues to face multiple development challenges including poor electricity coverage, inadequate clean water access, weak education services, and poor road infrastructure, residents say the health sector remains the most urgent and life-threatening gap.
Currently, the district relies on only one Health Centre IV facility at Maddu Health Centre IV. However, residents say even basic services expected at that level are often unavailable, leaving patients without proper treatment.
When cases cannot be handled at Maddu, patients are usually referred to Gombe Hospital in neighbouring Butambala District. Yet residents say accessing that facility remains extremely difficult due to the absence of a functioning ambulance service in Gomba District.
According to community members, this gap has resulted in preventable deaths, with critically ill patients sometimes dying before reaching higher-level care facilities.
Kanoni LC Chairperson Wasswa Abel Mukatuliki, speaking on behalf of residents, congratulated President Museveni on his new term but urged immediate attention to the district’s health situation.
“Mr President, congratulations upon beginning another term in office. But as Baganda say, ‘one who waits for their share gets only the tail.’ We did not want to wait until your office becomes too busy before reminding you of our problems,” Mukatuliki said.
He added that Gomba appears neglected partly due to its location away from major urban centres.
“This time, we ask you to remember us and construct a fully-fledged hospital in Gomba District,” he said.
Mukatuliki also questioned why Gomba remains one of the few districts without an ambulance, despite similar support being extended elsewhere.
“Every district received an ambulance, but why was Gomba left out? Many people here die after accidents simply because there is no ambulance to rush them to hospitals like Gombe or Mulago. Families are forced to look for ordinary vehicles, which delays treatment and costs lives,” he added.
Women in the district also shared distressing accounts of maternal healthcare challenges, saying expectant mothers continue to face high-risk deliveries without adequate medical support.
They noted that complications during childbirth often force emergency referrals to Gombe or Mulago hospitals, but the lack of an ambulance makes transfers dangerous and delayed.
“In Gomba, there is no hospital where women requiring surgery during childbirth can be treated. Doctors often attempt normal deliveries and when complications arise, patients are referred outside the district,” the women said.
They further explained that many pregnant women are transported on boda bodas or in ordinary vehicles, a situation they described as unsafe and often fatal.
“Sometimes labor pains become too severe while travelling in ordinary vehicles that are even stopped by traffic police. There is no medicine or emergency support during transit. Many women lose too much blood and some die before reaching hospital, while others end up giving birth on the road,” they added.
Residents expressed disappointment that despite Gomba’s political prominence and its association with national leaders, basic health infrastructure remains largely undeveloped.
“We should be going to the media to thank the President for development, but instead it is embarrassing that we must remind someone who lives in this district and leads the country that Gomba still has no hospital or ambulance,” some residents said.
They urged government to prioritise healthcare in the district in the new term, insisting that even if other sectors take time, health services should be addressed first.
“In this new term, even if other projects delay, let healthcare come first. We need an ambulance and a hospital in Gomba,” they said.
Historically, Gomba District has remained politically significant, often featuring in Uganda’s electoral contests involving President Museveni and opposition leader Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, popularly known as Bobi Wine.
However, residents say the level of public service delivery has not matched this political importance.