Ambulance drivers across Western Uganda have appealed to the Ministry of Health to urgently address their poor working conditions, citing extreme exhaustion, lack of medical cover, and long working hours that compromise both their health and patient safety.
The concerns were raised during a regional capacity-building training held this week in Mbarara City, where emergency vehicle operators revealed that overwhelming workloads and inadequate welfare continue to severely hinder their productivity.
Speaking at the engagement, Mr. Justus Agaba, an ambulance driver attached to Kiruhura Health Center IV, detailed the intense physical and mental strain operators endure daily due to staffing shortages.
‘I am compelled to work 24/7, which is not easy because I usually need to rest as a human being,’ Mr. Agaba said. ‘Government should look at employing more than one ambulance driver, especially in places where the volume of emergencies is high. Being human, one can make a mistake, which may cost a life.’
Mr. Agaba also expressed concern over the lack of health protection for emergency personnel who operate on the front lines of medical crises without safety nets.
‘We request that our welfare be paid attention to. For example, we don’t have medical insurance. Right now, if I fall sick, the entire medical bills will be quite expensive for an ambulance driver. We are not only drivers; we are different from other drivers,’ he added.
Highlighting technical gaps within the emergency response framework, Mr. Joseph Ssenkumba, Head of Training at the Association of Ambulance Drivers Uganda, noted that many emergency drivers lack formal preparation for pre-hospital care and routine handling of emergency patients.
‘I have realized that ambulance drivers stretch a lot; some of them work very long duties both at night and day, and some work alone, which should not be the case,’ Mr. Ssenkumba observed. ‘My call to government is to give more facilities and train them on how to handle patients because their duty is so critical-one mistake can cost a life.’
Addressing the drivers, the Commissioner for Emergency Medical Services at the Ministry of Health, Dr. John Baptist Waniaye Nambohe, acknowledged the operational challenges and emphasized that the training aimed to equip drivers with essential skills while offering a constructive platform to address their grievances.
‘So as key stakeholders, we understand they have grievances, and we hold such engagements to see what we can do to solve them,’ Dr. Waniaye stated. ‘These drivers are supposed to assist the paramedics in ensuring that the patient is moved safely on the side of the road and support putting this patient on a stretcher so that they are moved safely into the ambulance. We believe that now they have what it takes to do that perfectly.’
Dr. Waniaye further cautioned the operators against extorting patients, warning that unauthorized fees degrade public trust in the national health system.
‘We have cautioned them on illegal charges for ambulance services-that they should not charge patients unnecessarily unless that ambulance charge has been cleared by the authorities,’ Dr. Waniaye warned.
Outlining the current status of the country’s emergency fleet, Dr. Waniaye revealed that Uganda currently operates approximately 480 ambulances. About 170 of these are non-standard Type A transport vehicles remaining from older procurements. However, between 2020 and 2026, the government procured 306 modern, standard ambulances to improve emergency services across the country.
While ambulance coverage at the constituency level currently stands at 54 percent, Dr. Waniaye reassured the public that the government remains committed to expanding the fleet, with plans already underway to procure an additional 50 standard ambulances under the current financial year’s budget.