The Ministry of Health has asked Parliament to appropriate at least Shs32.5 billion to enable the government to digitise processes of service provision in state-run health facilities, as a way of plugging gaps through which drugs and medical supplies are stolen.
The request was placed before the House Committee on Budget by the chairperson of the Committee on Health, Mr Joseph Ruyonga.
“Digitization of hospitals, we need Shs32.5 billion for hospital management systems,” Ruyonga told lawmakers on the budget committee.
His presentation was immediately interrupted by the Vice Chairperson of the Committee on Budget, Mr Remigio Achia, who directed that a detailed strategy for the planned digitization be shared to inform proper budget planning by Parliament before funds are appropriated.
“We need a strategy. The committee must interrogate that. What is the strategy and the rollout? Is it across the country? Is it selected regional hospitals?” Mr Achia asked Mr Ruyonga.
A similar call for a detailed digitalization plan from the Ministry of Health was equally demanded by the Otuke legislator, Mr Paul Omara, who reasoned that it is through such a plan that Parliament will understand how it feeds into the country’s digital systems, including salary payment systems installed across various entities.
“What is our overall strategy as a country on digitization of our systems? You know, we have been talking about payment systems only; we are talking about data; now, we are talking about using systems as a management tool because drugs are being stolen big time across the country,” Mr Omara said.
Although there was no commitment on whether the request for the detailed digitalization plan would be delivered to Parliament, a section of legislators, including the Gomba District Woman MP, Ms Sylvia Nayebare, spoke in support of the digitalisation proposal, reasoning that it would improve health service delivery in the country.
“I would personally support them because having a database and a system is the backbone, and when you have the drugs in the hospitals, because you cannot know how many patients got malaria this year, how many children need to be vaccinated or immunized, whatever the case you can’t demand for proper accountability,” Ms Nayebare told colleagues on the Budget Committee.
She added, “So, they need the database in place, whether they get in touch with these other mother institutions or not, they really need it as health.”
The digitalization plan for government-run health facilities comes at a time when the country continues to grapple with the loss of drugs and other medical supplies. The government regularly conducts operations to trace theft of drugs and medical supplies across the country.