Surgeons Seek UGX 1.5 Billion to Support Free Medical Camp in West Nile
By EW Admin — August 21, 2025
Kampala – The Association of Surgeons of Uganda (ASOU) has appealed for UGX 1.5 billion to facilitate a massive week-long surgical camp in the West Nile subregion, expected to be one of the largest of its kind on the African continent.
The announcement was made during a joint press briefing with Members of Parliament from the West Nile Parliamentary Caucus at Parliament on Wednesday.
According to Dr. George Didi Bhoka, Obongi County MP and Chairperson of the West Nile Parliamentary Caucus, the subregion is home to nearly four million people, including over one million refugees from South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and the Central African Republic.
“Our population is grappling with a double, if not triple, burden of disease—infectious diseases, lifestyle illnesses, and repeated outbreaks,” Dr. Bhoka said.
“We therefore appreciate the gesture of the Association of Surgeons of Uganda to extend specialist services to the 13 administrative units of West Nile. But for this to succeed, we need government agencies, partners, and well-wishers to step in with support.”
The district includes Yumbe, Ajumani, Arua, Arua City, Moyo, Koboko, Madi Okollo, Pakwach, Obongi, Terego, Zombo, Maracha, as well as Primary and secondary schools.
2,500 Free Surgeries Planned
ASOU President Prof. Moses Galukande said the camp will run in 23 sites across 13 districts, targeting at least 2,500 free surgeries in over 12 medical specialties, ranging from neurosurgery and orthopedics to pediatric and eye operations.
“We expect to screen around 10,000 patients and perform surgeries for those most in need. Over 600 cataract operations alone have already been lined up,” Prof. Galukande said.
“This is something we do annually in different regions, but West Nile is unique because of its large refugee population. Access to safe surgical care is extremely limited here, yet the need is overwhelming.”
He noted that the association requires about UGX 1.5 billion to provide accommodation, meals, and transport for over 580 medical workers, as well as logistics for supplies and follow-up.
“Each operation costs an average of UGX 480,000, but no patient will be charged a shilling,” he emphasized.
“What we need are resources to facilitate the process—feeding, transporting, and housing the medical teams. If you sponsor even one operation, you change a life forever.”
MPs Pledge Support
The legislators pledged their support for the initiative, calling it a critical intervention for a region where patients often travel long distances to referral hospitals in Kampala.
“West Nile hosts one of the biggest refugee populations in Uganda. This program is therefore timely and will save lives,” Dr. Bhoka said, urging government ministries, the Office of the Prime Minister, UNHCR, and humanitarian partners to back the effort.
Koboko Municipality MP, Hon. Charles Ayume, added that government should institutionalize such medical camps within the national budget.
“And I would like to urge government that in the near future we could put this as a recurrent expenditure in our budget so that every year, whichever sub-region it goes to, the association does not have to go and start doing fundraising. This becomes a recurrent cost and we are sure that we are able to reduce the case backlog.”
ASOU confirmed that after the week-long camp, a follow-up team will remain in the region for 30 days to monitor recovery and address post-surgery complications.
The association has previously held similar camps in Lango and Ankole, but Prof. Galukande noted that it could take 15 years for West Nile to receive such a large-scale medical outreach again if this opportunity is missed.
The theme: for the campaign, is increasing access to quality surgical care and reducing the burden of surgical diseases.
