The Public Accounts Committee is expected to carry out a field visit at the construction site of Mbuya Military Hospital, after the Auditor General revealed that the contractor abandoned the site despite receiving Shs69 billion out of the Shs106.2 billion earmarked for the project.
“You have taken six years to construct a referral hospital with an initial completion date of July 31, 2020. That means the project was supposed to take two years, you have taken six years. So, you gave them (Contractor) an extension of three more years, we don’t have a hospital. By the time of audit in October 2023, progress was estimated at 70% against expected progress of 90%. The works on site had stalled & the contractor was absent from the site. We want to pay a visit to this hospital, we want to be at Mbuya at 8 am and come back here and answer the queries of this hospital,” said Muwanga Kivumbi, Chairperson PAC.
The impromptu field visit was announced by Muwanga Kivumbi, Chairperson PAC, after the officials from the Ministry of Defence failed to explain why it has taken the Army six years to construct the hospital, yet the project was meant to be undertaken within two years.
The Public Accounts Committee has asked the government to ensure that Mbuya Military Hospital is not haunted by the same ghosts that hijacked the International Specialized Hospital Lubowa, after they were welcomed by a thick bush and dust during their field visit, following the abandonment of the site by the contractor.
“It is a site that had long been abandoned for quite some time, I think they did last minute mobilization because we were coming. But even that, for me it is positive, if agencies can wake up and knowing that a Committee of Parliament is coming and they begin to remobilize, we will keep camera on this project because we can’t afford another Lubowa, this isn’t exactly there, but we are nearly there with the work done,” said Muwanga Kivumbi, Chairperson PAC.
MPs conducted a field visit at the Mbuya Military Hospital site after the December 2023 Auditor General’s report revealed delays in completion of works by China National Aero Technology International Engineering Corporation after initially promising to deliver the fully constructed and equipped hospital by July 1, 2020. Government extended the contract for 3years, but the contractor failed to beat the June 2023 deadline.
The contractor, China National Aero Technology International Engineering Corporation promised to complete works by end of December 2024, although his promise was not enough to quell the fears and anxiety amongst MPs like Gorreth Namugga (Mawogola South) who wondered if the Ministry of Defence had turned the Mbuya Military Hospital into a rat rearing facility, because of the bush and soil that had taken the site.
“Just as the Auditor General had indicated, the site had been abandoned, it is bushy and the soil is all over the place. They brought in some people to sweep in the night because we were coming but the good thing is, this project isn’t like the Lubowa hospital project at least there are some buildings to show that works are ongoing. What we requested of them is to ensure that the contractor resumes the work. The truth is the place is all bushy, at some point I thought they had started rearing rats at Mbuya Hospital and we have requested them to keep the site clean,” said Gorreth Namugga.
The hospital is meant to treat military officers both at home and on foreign missions and also offer medical services to civilians at subsidized prices.
The hospital shall provide a wide range of services including specialized and super-specialized services including ENT, Ophthalmology, Orthopaedics, Urology, Nephrology, Neurology, Cardiology, Oncology, Minimal access and endoscopy, Fertility, Dental, Oral and maxilla-facial, Physiotherapy, Laboratory, Radiology and Imaging services among others.
The project is intended to address the ever-rising and unsustainable costs accruing from the referral of patients to private health facilities within and outside of the country.
To ensure sustainability, the hospital shall operate on a private not-for-profit model where the entitled patients shall be paid for by the institution and those from the general public shall access services at a subsidized fee.
