By Chipo Brenda
The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Parliament has expressed alarm over the state of services at Jinja Regional Referral Hospital, citing gross mismanagement, understaffing, and poor accountability. This was during a committee session convened to scrutinize the Auditor General’s report for the financial year ended June 30th.
Committee members, led by Deputy Chairperson Hon. Goretti Namugga (MP, Mawogola County), painted a grim picture of several referral hospitals — including Entebbe, Soroti, Moroto, and Jinja — which they said are operating in a near-collapse state.
“These hospitals are in critical condition, like patients in the Intensive Care Unit. They are severely understaffed, the infrastructure is dilapidated, and there’s a persistent shortage of medicines,” Hon. Namugga told the committee.
Namugga was particularly disturbed by the finding that 67% of medical equipment at Jinja Referral Hospital is not engraved — a basic accountability measure meant to safeguard government property.
“It is unacceptable that such a large percentage of equipment remains unengraved. This is pure carelessness and laziness on the part of the hospital management,” she remarked.
Other MPs echoed her concerns.
“When machines and tools are not engraved, they can easily disappear, and no one will be held accountable,” said Hon. Elijah Okupa, MP for Kasilo County.
“We have seen equipment vanish from hospitals over the years because there is no way to trace unmarked items,” added Hon. Victoria Nekesa, the UPDF representative in Parliament.
“Engraving is not a luxury — it is a requirement. These machines are under the full custody of hospital administrators, and they must take responsibility,” stressed Hon. Silas Aogon, MP for Kumi Municipality.
Hospital Director Responds
Responding to the committee, Dr. Alfred Yayi, the accounting officer and director of Jinja Referral Hospital, defended the hospital management, stating that they had not been allocated specific funds for engraving equipment.
“Our budget prioritizes urgent operational needs. We were not given funds specifically for engraving. That’s why it has been delayed,” Dr. Yayi explained.
He further told the committee that the hospital is operating under severe staffing shortages — with a deficit of 24 critical staff members — which has further strained service delivery.
“We try to bridge the gap through collaborations with organizations that occasionally offer free medical services and come with their own teams. That’s when you see faster service delivery,” Dr. Yayi said.
Jinja Referral Hospital serves a population spread across 11 districts, including Jinja, Mukono, Buikwe, and others — putting immense pressure on its limited infrastructure and staff.
PAC Calls for Immediate Intervention
The committee members criticized the government’s spending priorities, suggesting that more funds should be allocated to revamp the ailing health sector.
“Money that is being dished out in slums and ghetto areas should instead be directed toward hospitals that serve millions of Ugandans,” Hon. Namugga said.
She stated that the committee will soon engage the Ministries of Health and Finance to seek sustainable solutions to staffing and equipment challenges in regional referral hospitals.
