Maruzi North County MP Otim Bernard raised alarm over costly brain surgeries at Mulago National Referral Hospital, questions use of govt drugs in private wings.
By Okidi Patrick Ocamoyitdyel
PARLIAMENT, Uganda: Maruzi North Member of Parliament, Hon. Bernard Otim, has raised concerns over the high cost of specialised brain surgeries at Mulago National Referral Hospital, saying the charges are beyond the reach of poor and vulnerable Ugandans.
Otim raised the issue today, August 25, 2026, during an engagement between the Parliamentary Committee on Health and Mulago Hospital management.
He said many Ugandans who urgently need life-saving surgeries cannot afford them and called for deliberate government intervention to ensure financial constraints do not deny citizens access to critical care.
The legislator also queried the use of government-procured medicines and medical supplies in private wings of public hospitals.
He proposed that medicines procured by government should be strictly reserved for patients in the public wards, while private wings, which charge higher fees, should procure their own drugs and supplies.
According to Hon MP Benard Odoc Otim, the move would protect public resources, promote accountability and ensure that government medicines benefit the ordinary Ugandans they are intended to serve.
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