Mutungo Health Centre III opens as leaders call for more health workers
Leaders say infrastructure investment must be matched with adequate staffing and essential supplies
By Brian Mugenyi
KAMPALA — The operationalisation of Mutungo Health Centre III in Makindye-Ssabagabo Municipality has been welcomed as a boost to healthcare delivery, but local leaders have urged government to deploy more health workers to ensure the facility can meet the needs of the growing population.
The Makindye-Ssabagabo Municipality Mayor, Moses Otimong, applauded the Government of Uganda, through the Ministry of Health led by Dr Chris Baryomunsi, for supporting the facility, saying it will bring essential health services closer to residents.
Otimong said the investment should improve access to services, including immunisation, family planning and maternal healthcare.
However, he said infrastructure alone cannot guarantee better healthcare if facilities are not adequately staffed.
He cited the experience of Kakoola Health Centre, where he said government had invested heavily in infrastructure but the facility still faced a shortage of health workers.
“Health workers must accompany infrastructure,” Otimong said, arguing that government should ensure newly developed facilities have sufficient personnel to serve patients.
The concerns were echoed by the Makindye-Ssabagabo Municipality Mayor, Galabuzi John Bosco Sserunkuma, who called for additional health workers at the facility.
He said adequate staffing is particularly important when health centres are confronted with emergencies involving pregnant women and children.
For example, a woman suffering severe bleeding requires immediate attention, while a child experiencing convulsions needs urgent medical intervention.
Such cases, leaders said, require not only buildings and equipment but trained personnel who can make quick clinical decisions.
Shs3.96b investment
Otimong said the construction of Mutungo Health Centre III cost about Shs3.6 billion, while equipment was valued at approximately Shs360 million.
This puts the construction and equipment investment he cited at about Shs3.96 billion.
The investment comes as Makindye-Ssabagabo continues to experience pressure on public services because of its large and growing population.
According to the 2024 National Population and Housing Census, Makindye-Ssabagabo Municipality has a population of 439,605 people, comprising 229,298 males and 210,307 females in 114,527 households.
The census also recorded 59,083 children aged between zero and four years, while 186,375 residents were aged between zero and 17.
The figures point to significant demand for maternal, child and general healthcare services in the municipality.
Sserukenja calls for manpower
Makindye-Ssabagabo legislator Hon David Sserukenja also called for additional manpower and improved support to health facilities in the municipality.
He said some existing facilities are congested and require more health workers, medicines and other medical commodities.
Sserukenja also raised the issue of staff accommodation, saying facilities that have adequate housing for health workers are better placed to retain personnel and provide services.
He urged government to continue investing in the municipality’s health system as the population grows.
Operationalisation, not commissioning
Dr Geoffrey Kisuze said the event marked the operationalisation of Mutungo Health Centre III and Kibiri Health Centre III rather than commissioning.
“Today we are not commissioning; we are operationalising,” he said.
Dr Kisuze said Mutungo Health Centre III would provide outpatient services, immunisation, HIV/AIDS services and other clinical services.
He said health workers had been deployed and assured residents that government would provide medicines and other supplies required to run the facility.
The operationalisation means the facilities are moving from infrastructure development to service delivery, placing greater emphasis on staffing, supplies, equipment maintenance and referral systems.
Health workforce challenge
The concerns raised by the leaders come against the backdrop of Uganda’s broader health workforce challenge.
The Ministry of Health’s Human Resources for Health Strategic Plan identifies shortages and uneven distribution of health workers as major challenges to effective service delivery.
In May 2026, the ministry and its partners said they were working on measures to strengthen Uganda’s health workforce, highlighting the continuing need to address staffing gaps in the health sector.
At the local government level, the FY2025/26 approved budget for Makindye-Ssabagabo Municipality includes funding lines for Mutungo HC III and Kibiri HC III, including non-wage recurrent resources.
The funding is intended to support the facilities as they move into regular service delivery.
Maternal health remains critical
The need for adequate staffing is particularly important for maternal healthcare.
Ministry of Health guidelines recommend early and regular antenatal care, including monitoring pregnant women for complications and providing appropriate interventions.
For uncomplicated pregnancies, the ministry recommends at least eight antenatal contacts.
The guidelines also emphasise monitoring blood pressure and other indicators that can help health workers identify complications early.
For a new health centre, this means having rooms and equipment is only one part of the equation.
There must also be trained personnel capable of providing antenatal care, identifying danger signs and referring patients who require a higher level of care.
The next test
The operationalisation of Mutungo Health Centre III therefore marks the beginning of a new phase for the facility.
The construction phase focused on putting up the infrastructure and equipping it.
The operational phase will be judged by the services patients receive.
Residents will want to know whether health workers are available, whether medicines are in stock, whether equipment is functioning and whether emergencies can be handled promptly.
They will also expect an effective referral system for cases that cannot be managed at the health centre.
For Makindye-Ssabagabo leaders, the message to government is therefore clear: the investment in infrastructure must be followed by investment in the workforce.
As the facility opens its doors, the challenge is no longer simply to have a health centre in Mutungo.
It is to ensure that the health centre works.
The infrastructure is in place. The next measure of success will be the quality, availability and reliability of the services delivered to the people.
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