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Pallisa general hospital that serves the districts of Butebo, Kibuku, Budaka, Kaliro, Pallisa and close areas of Ngora and Kumi districts is going to be elevated to North Bukedi regional hospital.

Pallisa leaders welcome VP Jessica Alupo to Adal primary school in Pallisa. Photo credit: New vision

The Pallisa General Hospital will be upgraded to North Bukedi Regional Hospital, serving the districts of Butebo, Kibuku, Budaka, Kaliro, Pallisa, and nearby Ngora and Kumi districts.

The assurance was made by the vice president retired major Jessica Alupo Epel at Adal primary school in Gogonyo county, Pallisa district on Friday (09/08/2024) where she had gone to launch the farmers SACCOs under the invitation of Derrick Orone the Gogonyo county member of parliament.

Alupo responded to reiteration of Kevin Kaala Ojinga the Pallisa district woman Member of parliament who said the hospital which was built way back in 1966 during President Milton Obote1 was meant for the capacity of 25 inpatients admitted per ward that is pediatric, maternity, female and males which are now congested with over 200 in each mixed up in disorderly manner.

“My mentor Toto Vice president if you reached Pallisa hospital now you will get shocked to see some patients lying on self-improvised mats and this makes medical workers sometimes fail to distinguish between a patient and an attendant. Mbale regional hospital is overwhelmed as it serves over 25 districts”, Kaala stated.

In her response, Alupo assured the mammoth gathering that given the busy traffic along the Tirinyi to Kumi via Pallisa road which government of Uganda under the able leadership of president Yoweri Museveni injected 470.6 billion to Arab contractors that UNRA used, it deserves a well-equipped referral hospital not only for locals but also other travelers, tourists and quelling the accident rates along this road as RDC Dhikusoka Magidu complained of too many accidents and need for humps which the ministry of transport is going to work on the later soon.

“It’s by policy that each county in Uganda is to have health center IV and I have learnt that neither of the four of Gogonyo, Pallisa Kibale and Agule has any, this NRM government which is people centered is going to address it with time and it’s in plan for all health center IIIs to have resident medical officer, so Pallisa becoming a referral is key, Alupo said.

David Ochwa the Agule county member of parliament who was once representative of Agule county where Gogonyo was carved out from in the 9th parliament asked Alupo to remind President Yoweri Museveni about support he pledged to FDC supporters whom he (president Museveni) ushered into NRM led by Anthony Adome and Catherine Achola.

George Oule Omoding the Pallisa district NRM chairperson expressed disappointment over the failure of the appointing authority to appoint anyone from Pallisa into a ministerial post since Dr. Stephen Oscar Malinga died in 2013.

“Having a minister in place eases mobilization as people want that prestige of recognition and identifying with the government they support”, Oule said.

During the launch, Alupo challenged cultural, religious and other leaders to sensitize people to work hard to fight poverty and take children to school as government has done everything in this sector.

“RDCs who are here ensure no coin is levied from parents whose children are in UPE and USE schools and I put this statement in bold letters” Alupo said.

She handed four walking tractors to farmers SACCO and pledged to support them with 10,000 hand hoes to supplement the 2,000 Orone gave out.

VP Jessica Alupo handing over the walking tractors to Gogonyo farmers SACCO.

“I urge people to transform from subsistence farming to commercial and I challenge the RDC here to ensure people use the wetlands for fish farming as piloted in Limoto wetlands project as it leads conservation rather than degrading it for rice that has never bailed people out of poverty” Alupo said.

Orone said initially he had asked the vice president to lobby for Gogonyo four tractors but people have preferred hand hoes.

“I have supporter s number of SACCOs in my county women, disabled, youth, fishing community, bodabodas but I had to invite the vice president Alupo to launch this one of farmers because it’s engulfs everyone as agriculture is practiced in every household ‘Orone said.