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BY RICHARD DRASIMAKU AND GOODLUCK MUSINGUZI
YUMBE: Wednesday, May 21, 2025
Siraj Baguma, the health center in charge says he is unaware of why funding has dried up, but reliable sources say that the project was not well coordinated between the Yumbe district and the Ministry of health.
As such the funds that were allocated by the ministry of health was for construction of a Health Cnter III OPD as Kochi Health Center was targeted for possible elevation to a health center IV.
However the poiticians at the district council preferred Barakala health center to be elevated to health centre IV.
They asked for the design to be skewed to cater for the latter expecting increase of the budget which the ministry has not found easy to meet.
In December 2024, Baguma told the West Nile News that the district had convinced a local contractor to use his personal funds to foot the bills of the project for which he would then be reimbursed when the ministry finally releases more funds.
But the project has remained at stand still since the turn of the New Year.
“Right now I am for a leave, when I resume work I need to check with the district the issue of the funds and when work will resume,” Baguma confirmed in an interview.
The Barakala health center complex is edging towards completion
BY RICHARD DRASIMAKU AND GOODLUCK MUSINGUZI
YUMBE: TUESDAY, DECEMBER 24, 2024
The construction works should have ended by June 2024 but Barakala Health center’s Outpatients department and office block complex is still unfinished.
Siraj Baguma, the health center in-charge says that Barakala Health center in Yumbe district is being upgraded from a HCIII to a HCIV.
He said the facility benefitted from a sh450m under the development response to displacement impact program (DRIP).
However, this money was far less than the sh790m that Yumbe district wanted in order to uplift the status of the health center to a sub-district headquarters for Aringa-East constituency.
Patients in the female wing of the general ward at Barakala health center
Baguma said the money that the government sent was meant for an OPD for a health center III but the district asked the ministry to redesign the project to cater for a health center IV.
The revised design expanded the project to include offices, a standard laboratory among other things that were thought would go a long way in improving health service when completed, equipped and staffed to function.
Barakala has a catchment population of 32,799 people, however, its staffing stands at 63% and that is for the level of a HCIII.
Siraj Baguma is the health center in charge for Barakala health center
The in charge observed that when fully upgraded to a Health Center IV, the staffing gap will drastically widen. At the moment all the referral cases are sent to either Midigo health center IV or Yumbe hospital.
“People are eager for this OPD project to end. But the works are going very slowly because the contractor is now using his personal money to do the work since the district has not received the expected balance that was supposed to come this financial year,” Baguma said.
However, Baguma emphasized that the staff have continued to do their best to serve the people under the prevailing circumstances.
Baguma disclosed that under Refugee and Host Population Empowerment (ReHoPe), sh90m was secured and additional sh39m from Uganda Intergovernmental Fiscal Transfer program was received by Yumbe district which was spent on construction of a theater which has been equipped with anesthesia machine and oxygen concentrators, but other theater laboratory equipment and sterilization machine are still lacking.
“Via infrastructure, Barakala health center is nearly ready for a health center IV. We have an emergency medical service ambulance. What is missing is a mortuary and more staff houses and the human resource. We need one more doctor’s house because there are supposed to be two doctors for a Health Center IV,” Baguma explained.
The health recently received new beds for the children and women wing of the general ward
Akim Buga, the health center management committee chairman stressed the importance of upgrading the health facility, saying it will significantly improve services to the growing population in the area.
With mostly finishes remaining, Buga urged all the concerned stakeholders to team up and ensure the completion of the project, saying that the facility does not only benefit Barakala town council alone but the entire Aringa East constituency.
It’s unfortunate that the funding for such a crucial project has dried up. The lack of coordination between the Yumbe district and the Ministry of Health seems to be the root of the problem. Politicians preferring Barakala Health Center over Kochi Health Center adds another layer of complexity to the issue. It’s concerning that a local contractor had to use personal funds, and now the project is at a standstill. The delay in construction is affecting the community’s access to better healthcare. When will the Ministry of Health step in to resolve this? Why was the initial plan for Kochi Health Center changed without ensuring the necessary funds were available? The community deserves answers.