By Joseph Kiggundu
WAKISO — The Ministry of Health has urged Wakiso District authorities to organise village-level health assemblies to strengthen public participation, improve accountability and address challenges affecting service delivery in government health facilities.
Moses Muwanga, the Assistant Commissioner in charge of Community Health at the Ministry of Health, said taking health discussions closer to communities would help residents raise concerns and participate in identifying gaps in healthcare services.
Muwanga made the call during the Wakiso District Health Assembly held at Kavumba Recreation Centre in Wakiso Town Council last Friday.
The meeting was held under the theme “Collective Accountability and Collective Resilience in Delivering Quality Health Care for Wakiso District.”
He commended the district for organising the assembly but encouraged officials to extend similar discussions to villages so that communities could directly engage health authorities on matters affecting them.
Muwanga observed that public participation could help identify health workers who neglect their responsibilities, adding that government resources should be used to support effective service delivery.
He also encouraged patients to use the client satisfaction code to report cases of mistreatment and other poor experiences encountered at government health facilities.
The commissioner urged health workers to familiarise themselves with the client charter and explain patients’ rights whenever they seek medical attention. He emphasised the importance of treating patients with respect and ensuring that healthcare services remain accessible.
Wakiso Calls for Improved Health Infrastructure
Muwanga also challenged district leaders to strengthen advocacy efforts to secure additional government investment in healthcare infrastructure and services.
He noted that Wakiso faces particular challenges in accessing adequate hospital services despite its proximity to Kampala.
According to Muwanga, the district lost Entebbe Grade B Hospital, while several major health facilities came under municipal administration, leaving Wakiso with only three Health Centre IV facilities under the district.
He called for better integration of health services, particularly in screening and managing non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, cancer and hypertension.
Officials Raise Staffing and Funding Concerns
Emmanuel Mukisa, the former Wakiso District Health Officer and current Central Region immunisation supervisor at the Ministry of Health, praised the district for convening the assembly.
Mukisa urged district leaders to share the meeting’s resolutions with municipal authorities to support implementation, noting that municipalities operate independently and manage their own budgets.
He also announced that a community sensitisation campaign on immunisation was expected to begin within two weeks and called on councillors to support mobilisation efforts.
Ronald Sserufusa, the Wakiso District official responsible for drugs, highlighted funding shortages affecting healthcare delivery.
He said the district required approximately Shs8.7 billion but had received only Shs3 billion, leaving a funding gap of about Shs5 billion.
Sserufusa said the limited resources affected the district’s ability to provide services to all patients seeking care.
He called for increased investment in health promotion, noting that several illnesses could be prevented through public awareness and appropriate protective measures.
He cited malaria prevention, including sleeping under insecticide-treated mosquito nets, as one of the interventions communities should be encouraged to adopt.
Betty Nabuganda, the Wakiso Deputy District Health Officer, raised concerns about staffing shortages at some health facilities.
She cited Buloba Kitaawulizi, where buildings and medical equipment were reportedly available but health workers were lacking.
District Leaders Call for Immunisation Support
Wakiso District Vice Chairman Edward Ssentalo attributed the pressure on health facilities partly to the district’s large population.
Ssentalo urged councillors to mobilise residents in their respective communities to ensure children receive immunisation services when the upcoming campaign begins.
The health assembly brought together district officials and health sector stakeholders to discuss accountability, resource constraints, staffing gaps, disease prevention and ways of improving healthcare delivery across Wakiso District.
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