A surge in patients seeking health services has put pressure on resources at health facilities undergoing upgrades in Rubanda District, with some patients reportedly sleeping on the floor due to inadequate beds, a community monitoring report has revealed.
The findings are contained in a report under the Community-Led Monitoring project, implemented by the community-based organisation Kigezi Orphans and Vulnerable Children Living with HIV/AIDS (KADOLHA), in collaboration with Mayanja Memorial Hospital Foundation and TASO Uganda.
Funded by the Global Fund, the project seeks to improve access to and the quality and availability of HIV, tuberculosis (TB) and malaria services in Rubanda District by the end of December 2026.
The 39-page report details findings from 10 health facilities in the district, gathered between June 1 and September 30, 2026. It was presented at a meeting at the district headquarters attended by district officials, journalists and other health-sector stakeholders on Monday.
Amos Tugumisirize, KADOLHA team leader, said Rubanda District Hospital, Hamurwa Health Centre IV and Bufundi Health Centre III were among the facilities most affected by the rising patient numbers.
He said patients interviewed during the exercise expressed frustration over spending long hours waiting for treatment because of congestion in outpatient and inpatient departments.
Bufundi Health Centre III in-charge Maurice Ruhangariyo confirmed the shortage of beds, saying some patients had been forced to sleep on the floor after the maternity ward ran out of beds.
The report attributed the growing demand partly to ongoing infrastructure developments and improvements in services, which have attracted patients from neighbouring districts, including Kanungu and Kisoro.
He added that the increased patient numbers had also contributed to stockouts of essential medicines, particularly those used in the management of TB, HIV/AIDS and malaria.
CUE IN TUGUMISIRIZE…ON TOO MANY PATIENTS…ENG//
In response, Rubanda Chief Administrative Officer Samuel Ahabwe said the district was receiving patients from neighbouring areas, particularly where certain services were unavailable at health facilities closer to their homes.
He added that health workers must be prepared to attend to everyone seeking treatment as the district government explores long-term solutions to the congestion.
CUE IN CAO AHABWE…ON INFLUX…ENG//
Rubanda District Health Officer Dr David Mpola Mpola commended KADOLHA for compiling the report, which also highlighted concerns about staff absenteeism and late reporting for duty, particularly at Health Centre II and Health Centre III facilities.
Dr Mpola Mpola urged facility in-charges to strengthen supervision and ensure health workers report for duty on time.
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The district secretary for health and education, Obed Mutatiina Kitabutuuka, reminded health workers that the public expected improved service delivery, especially following government salary enhancements in recent financial years.
He said increased access to information through social media had made communities more aware of health workers’ responsibilities and remuneration, adding that absenteeism and late reporting would not be tolerated.
CUE IN MUTATIINA…ON ABSENTEEISM…ENG//
The Assistant Resident District Commissioner in charge of Rubanda West, Hillary Bindeeba, said the RDC’s office would lead a team of district officials on a fact-finding mission to investigate concerns raised in the report, particularly staff absenteeism.
He warned that the team would conduct unannounced visits to health facilities to establish whether health workers were reporting for duty and providing services as expected.
Bindeeba said government investments in the district’s health sector should not be taken for granted and that failure to deliver services would not be tolerated.
CUE IN BINDEEBA…ON INCHARGES MATTER…ENG//
The reported congestion comes as the government invests in expanding health infrastructure and improving service delivery across Rubanda District.
Rubanda District Hospital, which previously operated as a Health Centre IV, was elevated to hospital status, with up to Shs18.5 billion allocated for infrastructure development, recruitment of specialists and other requirements.
Hamurwa Health Centre IV recently received Shs500 million from the Bank of Uganda, alongside medical equipment, while construction works worth millions of shillings are ongoing at Bufundi Health Centre III as the government moves to upgrade it to a Health Centre IV.
Rubanda District Hospital, which began operating in July 2025, has also registered growing demand for maternal health services.
District chairperson Stephen Ampeire Kasyaba said his office had been informed that the average number of women delivering by Caesarean section at the hospital each month had increased from 45 in the 2024/2025 financial year to 95 by October 2026.
The increase points to growing demand for specialised maternal care as infrastructure development continues.
However, delays in completing construction works have left patients and health workers grappling with inadequate space, compounding the challenges identified by the community monitoring exercise.
The report highlights the need to match infrastructure expansion and improved services with adequate staffing, medicines, beds and other essential resources to ensure that rising patient numbers do not compromise the quality of care.
