Kalongo residents call for public health centre over high cost of care

30 September 2026, 7:07 am

By Geoffrey Okwong

Residents of Kalongo Town Council in Agago District are calling for the establishment of a public Health Center III, saying the lack of an affordable government health facility is making it difficult for vulnerable families to access treatment and maternal health services.

The concern was raised during Agago District’s first full council meeting of the 2026/27 financial year, where councillors also highlighted the cost of referring patients from lower health facilities to higher-level centres.

Margaret Lalam, the female councillor representing Kalongo Town Council and Parabongo Subcounty, said residents had repeatedly raised concerns about access to health services, but little progress had been made.

Lalam said Kalongo Town Council has land that was previously part of the former NRA barracks, and that the land has already been secured with a title. She said the community had proposed using part of the land for a public health facility, but the proposal had not yet been implemented.

She said the absence of an affordable public facility has particularly affected expectant mothers, with some women reluctant to seek services at private facilities because of the costs involved.

According to Lalam, some mothers have resorted to giving birth at home and only seek health services later, including immunisation for their children.

She said the situation was putting vulnerable mothers and children at risk and called for a public Health Center III where residents could access essential services at an affordable cost.

District LCV Chairperson Wilson Otto also acknowledged the health-service challenge in Kalongo, saying residents were struggling because the area is served by a private hospital.

Otto said Dr Ambrosoli Memorial Hospital, which provides health services in Kalongo, is a private facility, meaning some residents have to pay for services they may not be able to afford.

He said the district was engaging the facility over the cost of services and exploring ways of improving access for residents, including discussions on reducing fees and ensuring access to vaccination services.

But the health challenge extends beyond the availability of facilities, with the district also facing the high cost of transporting patients who require referral.

Otto said the district executive had allocated Shs500,000 to each Health Center III, Shs200,000 to each Health Centre II and Shs3 million to each Health Centre IV to support referrals, particularly the cost of ambulance fuel.

He said the allocations were necessary because of the large size of the district and the long distances patients sometimes have to travel to reach facilities offering higher-level services.

According to Otto, some referrals require ambulances to travel long distances, with a single trip potentially consuming about 40 litres of fuel at a cost of roughly Shs150,000.

He said ambulances are stationed at facilities including Adyala, Goro and Kalongo, with two others at Patongo Health Center IV, to support the referral system.

Otto said the district had already begun implementing the referral-fuel allocations at health facilities, with the aim of ensuring that lack of fuel does not prevent patients from being transferred when they require higher-level care.

The district’s referral funding comes as councillors push for more investment in primary healthcare, particularly in areas where residents face financial and geographical barriers to accessing services.

Lalam said establishing a public Health Center III in Kalongo would reduce the burden on residents and provide an affordable option for mothers and other patients who currently have limited access to public health services.

The council’s concerns point to two related challenges facing healthcare delivery in Agago: the need for more public health facilities and the resources required to move patients safely between facilities when specialised or higher-level care is needed.