Residents of Kiduma and Kibiingo wards in Busiisi division, Hoima Municipality are demanding a health facility in their area.
The two wards comprise of 18 villages and have a population of over 20,000 people. Residents say despite such a huge population the area has neither a government health centre nor a private clinic.
Abel Kibakutaireho, the Wakyoya local council one chairman says the distance from his village to Hoima town is about ten kilometers. Kibakutaireho says residents face hurdles accessing health services especially during the night as there are no vehicles to readily transport them to town.
Sarah Nsungwa, a house wife says women suffer especially during labor pains as there is no nearby health center.
Nsungwa says women expectant mothers always have no option but to travel to Hoima hospital, which is the nearest health facility. She says this is expensive and asks government to establish them a health centre to bring such services nearer to them.
The residents’ demand has got backing from the Division LC3 boss, Kadir Kirungi. Kirungi says the lack of a health centre in the area is one of the division concerns.
He says people there have to move long distances to attain health services despite being in the municipality. The two parishes are part of the villages that were annexed to the new municipality last year.
Despite the annexation, the population there still lives in a rural setting and problems of poor road infrastructure, lack of clean water among others, are still affecting them.
The residents aired out their demand during a public forum organized by the municipal mayor, Grace Mary Mugasa on Friday evening.
Mugasa pledged to have a solution for the residents’ problem soon, saying she has written to the district health officer expressing the urgent need for a health facility in the area.
The mayor launched an open public forum for residents to interact with their leaders and present their concerns. She moved from ward to ward in the company of other local leaders meeting the locals.
She says this is geared towards promoting bottom up planning, which she says takes into account residents’ needs.
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