The Executive Director of Kiruddu National Referral Hospital, Dr. Charles Kabugo has revealed that the facility is waiting for formal communication regarding a proposal by President Yoweri Museveni to downgrade it to a district hospital.
Dr. Kabugo made the remarks while appearing before Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee, where he led a delegation from the hospital to respond to queries raised in the 2024/25 Auditor General’s report.
“This was a pronouncement during our campaigns and we waited for an official communication to get to us. We have consulted the Minister of Health to guide us on how we should plan our new structure, whether we should plan now based on the fact that we are going to be downgraded or to be maintained as a national referral hospital,”Dr. Kabugo explained.
He added that although there have been verbal assurances, no official directive has been issued.
“Verbally, we have been told that we are going to maintain the same course like we are right now, but there is no written communication to that effect. Yes, they have told us to keep the course,” he said.
His remarks followed questions from Members of Parliament, including Gorreth Namugga (Mawogola South) and Fredrick Angura (Tororo South), who sought clarity on the hospital’s status after the President’s pronouncement.
During his Parish Development Model tours in Kampala in July 2025, President Museveni expressed dissatisfaction with the Ministry of Health’s decision to elevate Kiruddu and Kawempe hospitals to national referral status.
He argued that the move deviated from the original plan of establishing the facilities to decongest Mulago National Referral Hospital and serve nearby communities.
Namugga pressed Dr. Kabugo to explain the possible reasons behind the President’s position, questioning whether the nature of services offered at Kiruddu justified its referral status.
In response, Dr. Kabugo attributed the development to public expectations and misconceptions about the hospital’s scope of services.
“So, when the community noticed that Government was constructing the hospital, they were excited thinking that they were going to get a complete hospital within their community. Now you are telling them that, no, for us, we don’t handle maternity, so that angered the community a bit,” he said.
He explained that at the time of its establishment, the Ministry of Health designated Kiruddu Hospital to handle internal medicine and plastic surgery cases, while maternity and paediatric services were assigned to Kawempe Hospital.
“So, when they were meeting the President in Kawempe, it came up, they raised the issue, said, yes, thank you for giving us this hospital, it is assisting us, it is doing all this. But our women are not delivering there. So, the origin was not the scope of services. It was more of; we want it expanded to offer more,” he added.
Dr. Kabugo, however, acknowledged the practical challenges of expanding services at the facility, citing space limitations.
“But the truth is, it is difficult for you to divide a 200-bed capacity hospital in Kampala and provide everything. Otherwise, you are going to have three or four beds per speciality, which doesn’t make sense,” he said.
The uncertainty surrounding the hospital’s status continues to raise concerns over planning and service delivery as the institution awaits formal guidance from the government.
