Balaam Orders Immediate Transfer of Hoima Hospital Director

Minister Balaam Inspecting Hoima Regional Referral Hospital. He has ordered the immediate transfer of Hoima Hospital Director.

Local government Minister, Balaam Barugahara, has ordered the immediate transfer of Dr. Ibrahim Bwaga, the Director of Hoima Regional Referral Hospital (HRRH), for allegedly failing to fight corruption, extortion, the sale of government medicines, and mistreatment of patients at the facility.

Barugahara issued the directive during an impromptu visit to the hospital on Friday afternoon, where residents, patients and leaders raised complaints about alleged corruption, sale of government drugs, extortion and poor service delivery at the hospital.

Patients and residents informed Balaam that they are being charged for services that should be available at the government facility, including X-ray and scan services.

According to residents and patients found at the facility, the hospital staff were allegedly demanding between Shs200, 000 and Shs300, 000 to provide X-ray and scan services.

The residents further revealed that the hospital staff were allegedly demanding between Shs150, 000 and Shs200,000 to provide mortuary services for bodies brought to the facility.

The patients further alleged that after failing to raise the demanded money, they are sometimes neglected, with some reportedly dying while waiting for treatment. Residents also raised concern about gross absenteeism of doctors and other health workers at the facility.

Worst of all, during the impromptu visit, Balaam discovered that there was no single doctor on duty, including the Hospital Director, yet patients had flooded the facility, with some in need of surgery and operation.

Responding to the issues raised, Balaam immediately ordered the transfer of the Hospital Director and directed the State House Anti-Corruption Unit to investigate all the allegations raised and establish the circumstances surrounding the conduct of staff at the hospital.

He has also instructed the Ministry of Health to investigate several staff at the hospital over extortion, sale of government drugs and mistreatment of patients, among others. Balaam warned that staff found culpable after the investigations would face appropriate action.

Collins Asaba, a resident of Kiryatete, a suburb of Hoima city, said the situation at Hoima Regional Hospital is appalling, noting that they have repeatedly raised concerns about alleged extortion and other problems at the hospital, but their complaints have not been adequately addressed by management.

Irene Kugonza, a resident of Katasiiha cell in Hoima West division, faulted the hospital top management for deploying students on internships to handle complicated operations at the facility, leading to the deaths of some patients.

She alleges that many patients have died at the hands of students undergoing internships at the facility since they are not yet qualified to handle complicated cases.

Asinansi Nyakato, the Woman Member of Parliament for Hoima City, informed the minister that as leaders, they have repeatedly raised concerns about the situation at the health facility, but their complaints were dismissed as politically motivated.

The current allegations raised by residents and leaders have renewed concerns about accountability and service delivery at the government facility, with local leaders calling for investigations to establish the facts and restore public confidence in the hospital.

In 2019, President Yoweri Museveni deployed a team to investigate allegations of extortion, sale of government drugs, harassment, and corruption at Hoima Regional Referral Hospital. The team was led by the then Health State Minister, Dr. Joyce Kaducu Moriku.

The deployment of the team followed complaints from residents led by Muhammad Kiyimba, the chairperson of Public Cell in Hoima city, to the president about corruption at the hospital.

Kiyimba accused the hospital’s top management of extortion, sale of government drugs, corruption, and harassment of patients, which he said had forced several people to abandon the hospital.

In October 2025, five staff members attached to the National Medical Stores (NMS) and Hoima Regional Referral Hospital were arrested over allegations of stealing government drugs.

The suspects, then identified as Habas Kizito, a driver attached to NMS; Bosco Aguerini and Moses Kiiza, also NMS employees; and Ceaser Onegiu and Ayo Justine, both from the hospital’s stores department, were arrested at the Hoima hospital premises.

The NMS staff had been instructed to deliver a consignment of drugs and medical supplies to Hoima Hospital using a box-body truck, registration number UBK 912F.

However, after the offloading process, the hospital management discovered that the items received did not match the delivery note issued by NMS. A box containing Morphine syrup was missing.

The hospital immediately initiated an internal inquiry and barred the truck from leaving the premises. The security team, comprising Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) personnel and private guards, impounded the vehicle and conducted a search.

During the inspection, the missing box of Morphine syrup was found hidden inside the truck, leading to the arrest of the five suspects.

The Hoima Regional Referral Hospital serves a population of approximately 3.5 million people from the nine districts of Hoima, Buliisa, Kiryandongo, Kakumiro, Kagadi, Kibaale, Masindi, Kikuube, and Hoima City-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com

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