Nebbi MP pushes for municipal health centres as council seeks to expand access to care

What the report says

Nile Post reports that Nebbi Municipality MP Emmanuel Ongiertho has said healthcare will be a priority for him, citing the lack of lower-level public health facilities in the municipality’s divisions. Although Nebbi General Hospital is located within the municipality and is run by the central government, Ongiertho said residents in Abindu, Thatha and Central divisions still struggle to access routine and basic services near their homes, with those in Abindu and Thatha most affected by distance.

According to the report, Nebbi Municipal Council has tried to prepare for new facilities by securing land in Abindu and Thatha and recruiting about 53 health workers, but the plans have not received the necessary approval. Deputy Mayor Musa Howard said the council has engaged the Ministry of Health since Nebbi became a municipality in 2017, and that Thatha Division had even rented private premises for a planned Health Centre III while Abindu had land available. He said the ministry’s position was that it was upgrading existing facilities rather than creating new ones.

The access gap is reported to affect maternal and child health, immunisation, sexual and reproductive health services, gender-based violence response and teenage pregnancy interventions. Health workers have therefore relied partly on community outreaches, including door-to-door service delivery.

State Minister for Primary Health Care Dr Charles Ayume said Nebbi benefits from having a general hospital, but acknowledged that additional lower-level units would improve access. He cited funding constraints and said government must expand gradually. The report also notes broader district pressures: Nebbi has one government hospital, limited lower-level government units, and also depends on private not-for-profit facilities such as Goli Health Centre IV and Angal Hospital.