Serere District Woman Member of Parliament, Esther Lucy Acom, has made a passionate appeal to the government to urgently address persistent healthcare gaps in her district, spotlighting a stalled surgical ward that has remained uncompleted for nearly a decade.
Presenting matters of national importance on the floor of Parliament on Wednesday, Acom called on the Ministry of Health to prioritize the completion of the long-delayed surgical ward at Serere Health Centre IV and allocate necessary resources to revamp healthcare infrastructure across the district.
At the heart of her appeal is the protracted delay surrounding the Serere Health Centre IV surgical ward. Acom pointed out that the structure has remained languishing at the wall-plate level for nearly nine years, ever since President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni officially commissioned its construction in October 2017.
The stalled project has left residents without critical local surgical services, forcing patients in need of operations to endure long, costly journeys to Soroti and other distant areas to access medical treatment.
“It is now nine years ever since President Museveni commissioned the construction of Serere Surgical Ward, since October 2017 up to now, the structure is still at the wall plate,” Acom told Parliament.
“As the people of Serere District, we really appeal to the government to allocate the resources to finish and functionalise the facility,” she added, urging the Minister of Health to provide a swift response.
Beyond the Serere Health Centre IV project, the legislator pressed for a comprehensive upgrade of health facilities across the district to bridge the accessibility gap for rural communities. She proposed elevating Atirir Health Centre III to a higher tier, alongside the upgrading of several Health Centre II facilities—specifically Kamusala, Kateta Moru, Omagoro in Kyere, and Olio—to Health Centre III status.
Acom argued that upgrading these facilities would drastically ease the burden on existing centers, which are currently overstretched by populations spilling over their immediate catchment areas.
Furthermore, the MP drew attention to severe infrastructure deficits in specific parts of the district, pointing out that areas like Ocaapa Town Council and Kidetok lack adequate health facilities entirely, while Pingire County operates without a designated Health Centre IV. She warned that the lack of facilities close to home puts lives at risk, particularly during medical emergencies when every minute counts.
Compounding the issue of incomplete and missing infrastructure is the deteriorating state of already operational facilities. Acom specifically cited Kyere Health Centre III and Kadungulu Health Centre III as being in urgent need of renovation and infrastructural improvements.
The legislator's submissions have placed renewed pressure on the Ministry of Health to deliver on its public health mandates in the region. For the people of Serere, the demands remain straightforward: finish the nine-year-old surgical ward, rehabilitate dilapidated health centers, and establish facilities within reach.
As the debate concludes, attention now shifts to the government to see whether funds will be mobilized to transform these long-standing appeals into tangible improvements on the ground.
