Written By |
Jinja Regional Referral Hospital (Courtsey Photo)
Search
By Our Reporter
JINJA - Jinja Regional Referral Hospital is appealing to the government for UGX 500 million to establish dialysis services, which are urgently needed to ease the burden on patients traveling to Kiruddu Hospital in Kampala.
Dr. Alfred Yayi, the hospital’s director, made the appeal while presenting the 2025/26 Budget Framework Paper estimates to Parliament’s Health Committee. He highlighted the growing demand for dialysis services in the Busoga region and revealed that an organization has donated dialysis machines. The hospital, however, requires funds for reagents and utilities to operationalize the services.
Dr Alfred Yayi
“Patients travel every week to Kiruddu for dialysis services, facing long distances and traffic jams. We have the space, and our partners have provided equipment, but we need UGX 500M for reagents and operational costs to offer this service at a subsidized rate,” Dr. Yayi said.
The dialysis project would significantly reduce costs and logistical challenges for patients in the region while improving healthcare accessibility. In addition to the dialysis request, Jinja Hospital also sought UGX 300 million to overhaul its aging plumbing system and invest in water solutions. Dr. Yayi detailed how the hospital faces mounting water arrears due to outdated infrastructure that causes significant leakage, inflating bills.
Parliament’s Health Committee
“We need support to establish motorized boreholes, improve water harvesting, and replace the old plumbing system. These measures would help reduce the arrears we owe to the National Water and Sewerage Corporation,” Dr. Yayi noted.
The hospital’s appeals come as part of broader efforts to enhance service delivery and address longstanding operational challenges. The Health Committee has pledged to review the hospital’s budgetary needs and provide recommendations to improve healthcare delivery in the Busoga region.
Torch Media Africa
