The Kitagwenda County Member of Parliament, Robert Mugabe, has questioned the Ministry of Health over the criteria used to distribute health facilities under the first phase of the Uganda Intergovernmental Fiscal Transfers Programme (UgIFT).
Mugabe raised the concerns during Wednesday's parliamentary session as legislators considered a report on the progress of the programme, which has supported the upgrading and rehabilitation of primary healthcare facilities across the country.
Under the first phase of UgIFT, more than 300 primary healthcare facilities, mainly Health Centre IIs, have been upgraded to Health Centre III level, while others have been rehabilitated to improve access to health services at sub-county level.
Mugabe asked Health Minister Dr Chris Baryomunsi to explain how districts and sub-counties were selected to benefit from the programme.
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"We need to understand the criteria that was used to select the districts that benefited under the first phase of UgIFT because there appears to be an imbalance in the distribution of these facilities," Mugabe said.
He said some districts had received a disproportionately large share of the projects, while others with significant gaps in health infrastructure had not benefited.
Mugabe cited an unnamed district that he said had received as many as 10 health facilities under the programme, describing the distribution as unfair.
"It is unfair for one district to receive ten health facilities while other districts do not even have a single facility constructed. We need equity in the distribution of these health facilities," he said.
The legislator said the disparity was particularly concerning in Kitagwenda County, where several sub-counties still lack Health Centre IIIs.
"Kitagwenda has thirteen sub-counties, but only four of them have Health Centre IIIs and we have one Health Centre IV. The remaining nine sub-counties do not have Health Centre IIIs," Mugabe said.
He called for greater consideration of areas with the biggest infrastructure gaps in the next phase of the programme.
"We want an assurance that in the next phase, there will be equitable distribution of Health Centre IIIs across the country, so that districts that have been left behind can also benefit," he said.
In response, Baryomunsi acknowledged the concerns and said the government would engage MPs further on the implementation and distribution of health projects under UgIFT.
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The minister said he would organise a workshop with legislators to discuss the concerns raised.
"We have taken note of the concerns raised, and we shall address these issues during the workshop that I will soon organise with Members of Parliament to discuss matters concerning health," Baryomunsi said.
The UgIFT programme is designed to strengthen local government service delivery through additional financing for key sectors, including health, education and water, with emphasis on infrastructure development and access to essential public services.
