Minister of State for Finance in charge of General Duties, Henry Musasizi, has issued an apology to Parliament over the government’s failure to allocate Shs54 billion for the procurement of ambulances for 158 constituency hospitals that currently lack emergency transport services.
The apology came during the approval of the Shs72.376 trillion national budgets for the 2025/26 financial year.
Members of Parliament raised alarms about the absence of ambulance funding, noting that the Health Committee had formally requested the funds through the Budget Committee.
When pressed by Speaker Anita Among to explain the omission, Deputy Chairperson of the Budget Committee, Remigio Achia, confirmed that no provision had been made for ambulance procurement in the final budget.
Musasizi admitted to the shortfall and assured Parliament that the government would explore alternative sources of funding outside the traditional budget to ensure the ambulances are procured.
Meanwhile, the budget has faced heavy criticism, especially from the opposition, over the government’s spending priorities.
A significant portion 70 percent of the Shs72.376 trillion budget has been allocated to servicing liabilities.
Of this, Shs32 trillion will go toward repaying debts and bailouts, while Shs8 trillion is earmarked for public sector salaries.
MPs have expressed concern that such heavy financial commitments leave little room for investment in critical services like healthcare and infrastructure.
By Francis Lubega
16th May 2025
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