Government to Prioritise Kidago Health Centre III After MP Secures 2.12 Acres

By Barasa Richard Osmara Digital Media Correspondent, Eastern- Iganga

IGANGA — The Government is set to prioritise the construction of a Health Centre III in Kidago Sub-county, Iganga District, after Kigulu North Member of Parliament Samuel Kungu Bamuteeze secured and donated approximately 2.12 acres of land for the proposed health facility.

The development was disclosed by Health Minister Dr Chris Baryomunsi while responding to concerns raised by Kungu during a parliamentary session over the state of health services and infrastructure in his constituency.

Reading from a note submitted by the legislator, Baryomunsi told Parliament that Kungu had already provided land for the proposed health facility, a development that could give Kidago an advantage as Government determines areas to benefit from new health infrastructure. “So he has already provided land. So we prioritise it,” Baryomunsi said.

The minister's response means the availability of land could strengthen Kidago's position under the second phase of the Uganda Intergovernmental Fiscal Transfers (UgIFT II) programme, through which Government supports the development and improvement of public infrastructure, including health facilities.

Availability of land is among the factors Government considers when prioritising locations for health infrastructure, making the MP's donation an important step towards turning the long-standing demand for a health facility in Kidago into reality.

Kungu's intervention in Parliament, however, was not limited to the proposed Health Centre III. The legislator also used the session to highlight the wider health challenges affecting residents of Kigulu North and the broader Busoga sub-region. One of the major concerns he raised was the prolonged failure of the X-ray machine at Nakavule General Hospital, also known as Iganga General Hospital.

Kungu told Parliament that the hospital has operated without a functional X-ray machine for approximately six to seven years, a situation he said has seriously undermined healthcare delivery at one of the region's important public hospitals. Nakavule General Hospital is strategically located along the busy highway connecting Uganda and Kenya and regularly receives victims of road accidents and other emergencies requiring urgent diagnostic services. The absence of a functional X-ray machine means patients requiring imaging may have to be referred to other facilities, potentially delaying treatment for critically injured patients. For poor and rural families, the situation can also mean seeking diagnostic services from private facilities and paying fees that many cannot easily afford.

Local leaders previously raised concerns that repairing the old machine may not provide a sustainable solution because the specialised films required for its operation are reportedly no longer supplied through National Medical Stores.

The hospital is also facing a separate infrastructure challenge involving its oxygen plant. Although a new oxygen plant has been constructed, it remains unusable because the facility lacks the electricity transformer required to power it.

The concerns raised by Kungu have therefore brought renewed attention to the wider condition of health infrastructure in Iganga and the need for Government to ensure that existing facilities are not only constructed but also equipped and provided with the utilities necessary to function effectively.

For Kidago, however, the Government's indication that the area could receive priority represents a significant development. The availability of 2.12 acres of land removes one of the key obstacles to the proposed Health Centre III and places the community in a stronger position as Government plans future health infrastructure investments. Residents of Kidago have welcomed the development, praising MP Samuel Kungu Bamuteeze for securing and donating the land for the proposed facility.

They described the donation as a significant step towards securing a Health Centre III for the area, with the Government now indicating that the availability of the land will help Kidago receive priority under its health infrastructure plans.