No funds in sight as Koboko Hospital OPD remains incomplete

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Construction of the sh6.6 billion outpatient department (OPD) at Koboko General Hospital has stalled due to insufficient funding.

The government, through the Ministry of Health, launched the phased construction of the OPD in 2019 at the new Koboko General Hospital site in Barifa, Dranya sub-county, Koboko district. However, only sh2.7 billion of the required sh6.6 billion has been disbursed, delaying progress.

Patients hoping to access services at the OPD may have to wait even longer, as government sources indicate that no additional resources will be allocated in the current financial year or the upcoming 2026/2027 financial year.

Experts warn that failure to secure more funding could compromise the integrity of the project.

Koboko General Hospital, located in Koboko Municipality, serves over 60,000 people, including patients from neighbouring South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Given its border location, local leaders are urging the government to prioritise the project to ease pressure on the existing facility.

Koboko deputy chief administrative officer Herman Ejoku expressed concern that delays in completing the OPD, coupled with a fresh influx of refugees from South Sudan, are straining the district's already overstretched health resources.

“We are praying that this financial year, the government allocates funds to at least complete the slabbing and roofing works, and in the next financial year, additional funding would enhance the finishing,” Ejoku said.

Koboko Municipality MP Dr Charles Ayume, a former chairperson of Parliament’s Finance Committee and now a member of the same committee, acknowledged that the OPD project is behind schedule. 

However, he clarified that construction was always meant to be phased, as it is funded entirely by the government of Uganda rather than donors.

“The OPD is work in progress and is entirely dependent on the release of funds by the Ministry of Finance and development partners,” Dr Ayume said.

He noted that the government has committed to releasing funds in the fourth quarter of this financial year to resume construction at the OPD unit, which he described as a hybrid project. He expressed optimism that the project would be completed within the next five years.

Dr Ayume explained that constructing a general hospital requires roughly sh60 billion, making it impractical to allocate the full amount in a single financial year.



He assured that once the remaining funds are disbursed, the OPD’s roofing and slabbing works will be completed.