On Thursday, Soroti City West MP Jonathan Ebwalu used his speech as guest of honor at celebrations to mark 10 years of existence for Bethesda Hospital and the launching of Uganda’s 2nd telemedicine center to call on the GoU to sufficiently invest in health facilities so as to make them more attractive to financially-constrained Ugandans who sometimes opt to die at home than wasting time going to hospital.
Ebwalu, one of the vocal MPs in the 11th Parliament, wondered why the COVID19 experience didn’t teach Ugandan leaders and decision-makers enough lesson regarding the need to prioritize funding the health care system which, according to the AU-enforced Abuja Declaration, is supposed to be allocated up to 15% of the country’s annual budget.
Ebwalu decried the fact that, even after its leaders nervously had to contend with the mess that has been created at public health facilities like Mulago as they couldn’t be promptly flown to Aga Khan and other hospitals globally because of COVID movement restrictions, Uganda is still spending only 5.1% of it’s annual budget on the health sector contrary to the AU-recommended 15%.TrendingBreaking News: Bobi Wine Arrested In The City
He challenged such leaders currently governing Uganda to emulate the likes of Dr. Juventile Emuku (Bethesda Hospital owner) and begin to realize why health has to be deliberately prioritized.
“Just see what my neighbor and friend Dr. Juventile Emuku has been able to do in just 10 years of Bethesda Hospital’s existence. He has had so much impact because, besides the 8,000 babies delivered here in the last 10 years as we have been told, not less than 1200 patients annually access treatment and high quality medical care from this private facility he has put in place for us,” roared Ebwalu whose family members, himself inclusive, have always medicated at the same hospital which he said has been more effective than the public health facilities in Soroti.
Ebwalu wondered why a mere private citizen like Emuku can sacrifice and put aside billions to invest in availing his people with such a fantastic health facility yet they GoU, which he subsequently appreciated for the political stability and enabling environment, can fail to equip and adequately fund Soroti RRH. He said Uganda has many good doctors, actually some of the world’s very best, but are only frustrated and let down by the GoU’s failure or refusal to sufficiently fund the health sector.
The MP said even those big people who end up being referred to supposedly better facilities abroad end up being worked upon and attended to by Ugandan consultants who work there. He gave the example of a powerful Ugandan who insisted on being airlifted only to end up being worked upon by a Ugandan specialist who ideally ought to have stayed, operated and had such impact within Uganda. “I salute Dr. Emuku for choosing to put all this hospital investment in Soroti as opposed to Mukura where he hails from or even Akaikai where he has a lot of land. Thank you for deliberately choosing Soroti.”
The legislator also commended the Emukus (Juventile & his spouse Dr. Elizabeth) for their pragmatism which has seen them excel both as medical professionals and also as ministers of God’s word. “They are pragmatists determined to fulfil both the spiritual and material wellbeing of the people. I like their program because they excel at treating our people but they also use their church Ministry at Calvary Chapel to materially reach out and address the needs of the people. They have a chapel as part of their hospital to ensure the spiritual nourishment of patients and whoever comes there, especially children and the elderly, are served some good food and that very delicious rice pilao explains how the relationship of my mother, a Catholic, with Calvary chapel started.”
Ebwalu observed that being able to balance the spiritual and material needs of the patients and other people coming around shows the Emukus have some idea and know what it takes to make a hospital attractive. He asserted the government can, and should, emulate the Emukus on that issue.
Vowing to always use his position as MP to protect private investments like Dr. Emuku’s and other similar projects in Soroti City, Ebwalu demanded that the GoU makes access to quality health care affordable by becoming more serious about and expediting the enactment of the national health insurance law, which ought to provide for compulsory mass marginal financial contributions of cash by all Ugandans towards a common pool out of which all citizens can universally be accessed to quality and yet affordable health care.
Ebwalu said this is the only game-changer to Uganda’s public health challenges adding that as public-spirited MPs, they long saw this and have always done their part to make sure this law is enacted only to be let down by other actors. The Emukus vowed to carry on and promised to cause even greater technology-enabled transformation in the health services provision arena-going into the future.
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MP challenges Gov’t To Expedite Health Insurance As Bethesda Hospital Celebrates 10 Years
