Members of Parliament on the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) have raised concerns over the high charges levied on patients at Mulago Specialised Women and Neonatal Hospital, despite the facility receiving significant funding from the government.
During a meeting between officials from Mulago National Referral Hospital and the Committee at the hospital premises on May 9, 2024, PAC Chairperson Muwanga Kivumbi directed the hospital administration to provide a detailed breakdown of costs charged to patients and questioned why the charges were so exorbitant despite government subsidization.
Kivumbi noted that the facility receives an annual subsidy of approximately Shs 7 billion from the government, yet charges patients hefty sums for services.
“A facility that charges this much also continues to encroach on the public purse, and it is highly subsidized by the government. When you look at the trend of your NTR, it is about Shs 7 billion a year. Would that justify why we shouldn’t find the money as the government tops up for what they could have lost in the NTR?” Kivumbi asked.
According to Kivumbi, the hospital charges Shs 1 million for normal deliveries on the Gold card, Shs 2.5 million for normal deliveries under Platinum, Shs 1.3 million for C-sections under Silver, Shs 2.5 million for C-sections performed on Gold card holders, Shs 2.5 million for patients on the Gold card, and Shs 4 million for patients undergoing VIP Platinum, which he deemed exorbitant fees.
Kivumbi also highlighted that Uganda is currently servicing a USD 34.14 million (Shs 129.220 billion) loan from the Islamic Development Bank for hospital renovation, to which taxpayers contribute, making it unfair for them to also pay high medical charges.
In response, Dr. Evelyn Nabunya, the Executive Director at Mulago Specialised Women and Neonatal Hospital, stated that the decision to charge Ugandans was made by the Cabinet.
“The decision to be able to charge for services came from Cabinet, and a team of Cabinet members came here to verify why people should pay, and they guided the team on how to set these charges. They also advised that there should be a waiver committee to enable Ugandans who can’t afford the services to be able to access them,” Nabunya explained.
The committee noted that Mulago Hospital only collects Shs 7 billion in revenue annually, compared to the Shs 31 billion annual budget the facility receives from the government, raising questions about the hospital’s financial management and the justification for the high charges levied on patients.