During its sitting on Tuesday, the Committee under the stewardship of the Vice-Chairperson, Asuman Basalirwa, legislators noted that the National Referral hospital is being run under a bureaucratic system where its Management is supervised by the Ministry of Health and staff recruitment done by the Health Service Commission.
The MRI machine contains powerful magnets and it is used to carry out complex medical tests like coronary tests for heart patients, brain and spinal tests and others. MPs learnt that this is the only available government MRI machine in the country and its idleness implies that patients are forced to seek for the services from costly private facilities.
In 2019, President Yoweri Museveni ordered the National Drug Authority (NDA) to cancel licences of the two private pharmacies operating in Mulago. However, the directive, according to Dr. Baterana, was temporarily stayed following legal advice from the Attorney General.
According to the Auditor General's report, the hospital had estimated to collect 13 billion Shillings in the financial year 2018/2019 but only realized 3.94 billion Shillings representing a variance of 9.05 billion Shillings.
Atwine, who was responding to questions from Members of Parliament in regards to their preparation to handle cases in case they rise, said that at the moment they are handling cases of coronavirus in Entebbe Grade B hospital and Mulago hospital.
In his statement to the house, Twinamasiko noted that patients in need of CT scan services in Mulago causality ward turn to other government facilities or private hospital, which is cumbersome and costly. CT scan services in private facilities in Kampala cost on average between Shillings 200,000 and 300,000.
