The House has adopted a motion urging government to prioritise investment in health centre IVs across the country in a bid to improve access to services in areas where referral hospitals are hard to reach.
According to the Speaker of Parliament, Anita Among, most constituencies and districts do not have hospitals and as such, health centre IVs are the best and easier option to establish.
She observed that it is cheaper to have more health centre IVS established, than referral hospitals.
“It would be prudent for us if we love our electorate, to urge government to operationalise health centre IVs to a level of a district hospital,” Among said.
The motion was moved by the Chairperson of the Committee on Health, Dr Charles Ayume, on Wednesday, 06 July 2022.
Among the resolutions recommended by the motion is that government ought to prioritise investment in health centre IVs through providing additional funding for construction of new facilities.
The finding will also cater for rehabilitation of existing health centre IVs as well as provision of medical supplies to address emerging challenges at the facilities.
Dr Ayume urged government to recruit more doctors and adequately train and retain a sufficient number health workers at health centre IVs, to cater for needs of patients.
“Government should also strengthen diagnostic services at health centre IVs, including laboratory and imaging services like ultrasound, fetal doppler and x-ray,” Ayume said.
The motion also urges government to provide additional funding for blood storage equipment in health centre IVs that do not have such equipment, to enable them comprehensively handle emergency obstetric and newborn care cases.
Kumi Municipality MP, Hon. Silas Aogon seconded the motion while reiterating the need to rehabilitate and strengthen services and medical equipment at the centres, for the benefit of Ugandans who use the facilities.
He noted that there are many gaps in health centre IVs particularly human resource, which if filled, will go a long way in improving easy access to health services.
“We need to reduce on the need for referrals. Once we strengthen our health centre IVs, we will not have to send patients who are in dire need to Kampala to access services of the national referral,” he added.
The Minister for Health, Dr Jane Ruth Aceng, told the House that government took a decision that every sub-county should have a health centre III, every constituency a health centre IVs and every district, a district hospital.
“It is true that having a hospital at every district could take many years. But if we strengthen health centre IVs, they can function as district hospitals,” the health minister said.
Kilak South County MP, Hon. Gilbert Olanya proposed that government uplifts health centre IIIs to a level of health centre IVs to cater for the increasing numbers of constituencies across the country.
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