Hon. Elioda Tumwesigye flags off ambulances procured under UHSSP. Photo credit: MoH

Members of parliament on the Parliamentary Public Accounts committee of parliament were upset by discovering that the Ministry of health supplied to health facilities in the country medical equipment and these are laying on their verandas.

In the meeting with Ministry of health officials led by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of health, Dr. Assuman Lukwago , MPs observed that  the medical equipment  worth 24  million dollars, out of 130 million dollars procured under Uganda Health System Strengthening project  in 2009/2010 and became effective in 2011, were supplied to health centers without needs assessment from hospitals.

The committee chaired by Serere district woman MP Alice Alaso  were saddened to learn that in Mwizi health centre in Mbarara district  medical equipment for a theatre was delivered with the hospital not having a theatre and the equipment are laying on a veranda. MPs also noted that in Iganga hospital an incubator was supplied without a staff operating it which has caused the medical officers in this hospital to wrap up premature babies and put them in this idle incubator.

MPs dug into the matter after the Auditor General conducted a special value for money audit in this project. The project was to help in the rehabilitation of 19 hospitals, 17 general hospitals and two regional hospitals for Mubende and Moroto and 27 health center fours and three. Part of this money, 30m, was meant to support the reproductive health component and 85m US dollars to improve on infrastructure.

Some of the visited hospitals included Pakwach, Mubende, Aduku, Mwizi and Iganga. The Auditor general team found that supply of equipments were made in 2013 but remained lying idle  in corridors and verandas.

The officials faced it rough when asked by the committee to produce the project coordinator Peter Nsubuga who was not in attendance since his contract had expired last week 17th August according to the permanent secretary Asuman Lukwago.

The committee recommended that Nsubuga avails himself to parliament and if he fails police is to arrest him by this week to explain why they never had an assessment form before supply of equipment that now lies idle in hospitals. The Permanent Secretary Asuman Lukwago admitted to and apologized before the committee for having setback this project which needed to reduce on the infant mortality rate.