Health 9 September 2026 Parliament of Uganda
Health Committee Demands Probe into Hospital Drug Theft and Extortion
Uganda's Parliament Health Committee has called for immediate investigations into alleged drug theft, financial mismanagement, and extortion of patients at Iganga and Bugiri hospitals. The committee's findings reveal significant discrepancies in medicine accountability and unofficial charges for medical services. Source: https://www.parliament.go.ug/news/4611/health-committee-calls-probe-drug-theft-extortion-iganga-bugiri-hospitals
Members of the Parliament’s Health Committee have directed the Resident District Commissioners (RDCs) of Iganga and Bugiri to launch thorough investigations into serious allegations of corruption at local government hospitals. This directive follows an oversight visit to health facilities in Eastern Uganda, where the committee uncovered alarming irregularities.
At Iganga General Hospital, the MPs noted critical gaps in how government medicines are managed and accounted for. Suspicion of theft and diversion has arisen due to poor record-keeping. The committee found medicines in storage without proper documentation of their receipt. Furthermore, some drugs reported as out of stock could not be accounted for through dispensing records until their supplies were depleted.
“We cannot account for some medicines. Their entry and exit are unknown, and we cannot ascertain if it was only the quantities we saw or a larger consignment,” stated Hon. Hope Nakazibwe, who led the committee. She emphasized that these persistent weaknesses make it difficult to explain recurring drug stock-outs to the public, necessitating the RDC’s intervention.
Patients at Iganga also reported instances of health workers demanding money for services, particularly at the pharmacy. Reports suggest that expectant mothers were allegedly charged for assistance during nighttime deliveries, a practice condemned by Workers’ MP Hon. Margaret Rwabushaija, who warned it could drive patients to seek services from risky providers.
Similar issues of corruption and extortion were reported at Bugiri Hospital. The committee learned that hospital administration collected funds from patients in the private wing but failed to remit these revenues to the Consolidated Fund. Patients revealed they sometimes paid more than the official Shs10,000 per night charge. The Bugiri Hospital Administrator cited delays in being enrolled in the government’s electronic payment system as the reason for delayed remittances.
Consequently, the Bugiri RDC has been tasked with investigating the revenue management from the private wing and probing allegations of unofficial charges for services, including surgical procedures.