By A shocking revelation has emerged during a proceeding between Parliament’s Health Committee and officials from Mulago National Referral Hospital. The hospital has been allocated Shs17.756 billion for specialized medical supplies to treat the entire nation for the year 2025/26, In shocking contrast, the Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) has been given Shs18.2 billion for the purchase of medicines for its staff alone.
While presenting the Hospital’s 2025/26 Ministerial Policy Statement at parliament on Wednesday 2nd April, Dr. Rosemary Byanyima, Executive Director of Mulago National Referral Hospital, warned that without an additional Shs101 billion for specialized medical supplies, the hospital will be forced to continue sending patients to buy their medicines outside the hospital.
“If at least Shs101Bn is not availed for the provision of Specialised Medical Supplies, the Hospital will continue sending patients to buy their medicines outside the Hospital” Dr Byanyima stated.
She revealed that the hospital is already facing a staffing and logistical crisis, particularly in treating HIV/AIDS patients, following the US government’s decision to end aid funding to Uganda.
The hospital has integrated HIV care into the infectious disease clinic, but Dr. Byanyima noted that managing logistics, antiretroviral therapy, and medicines will be a significant challenge.
“Of course, following the stop work order by the U.S. President Donald Trump, Mulago Hospital has integrated HIV care into the infectious disease clinic and that is in the medical patient department and we continue also to offer the inpatient service because we’ve been offering that. But we also have a challenge of how we manage the logistics of antiretroviral therapy our medicines and therapeutics committee is gathering all this information from the partners who have been offering that and we are in touch with the Minister of Health for guidance,” Said Dr. Byanyima.
Dr. Byanyima pointed out that this structure is serving two hospitals, as Mulago is set to be split into two health facilities, and yet the hospital’s staffing level is currently at 67%, with 1,374 positions filled out of a newly approved structure.
Parliament’s Health Committee will further scrutinize the budget allocation to ensure that the nation’s healthcare needs are adequately addressed.
