PAC grills Lira Hospital management over received excess gratuity

By Francis Lubega

29^th June 2022

The Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee – PAC has chased away from the probe meeting the officials from Lira Regional Referral hospital for failure to present evidence on accountabilities of the hospital.

The officials before the committee to answer queries arose from the June 2021 Audit report in which the Auditor General John Muwanga queried low absorption of funds meant for payment of salaries, pension, and gratuity in the financial year 2020/2021.

Muwanga in his report to Parliament cited Lira Regional Referral Hospital where 5.97 billion Shillings was spent on salaries, pension, and gratuity out of the total receipts of 7.48 billion shillings resulting in an unabsorbed balance of 1.5 billion shillings.

Led by the Hospital Director Dr. Stephen Obbo, the officials did not have any documents to support their earlier submissions which prompted the Deputy Chairperson of the Committee Asuman Basalirwa to adjourn the meeting to Thursday to enable them bring their budgets and financial statements.

Basalirwa has also warned that they will ensure the impending transfer of Dr. Obbo to another entity is postponed once he fails to provide them with the necessary information needed by Thursday.