Bulamagi, Iganga District, Uganda — In a big step towards improving the health and well-being of families in Busoga, the Ministry of Health, with support from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), has officially opened 28 newly refurbished health facilities across five districts in the region. These upgrades aim to bring quality health care closer to communities, especially women, children, and adolescents who need it the most.
At the heart of this initiative is the goal of giving every woman a safer pregnancy, every child a healthier start in life, and every young person better access to health services. The health facilities — spread across Iganga, Mayuge, Bugiri, Buyende, and Kamuli districts — have been given a new lease of life with improved buildings, clean water systems, reliable solar lighting, better medical equipment, and comfortable spaces designed to make health services more welcoming, even for young people seeking confidential care.
Speaking at the commissioning ceremony held at Bulamagi Health Centre III, Dr. Diana Atwine, Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Health, expressed gratitude to the partners and emphasized that this is not just about new buildings, but about changing lives. “With the right investment, proper planning, and committed partnerships like those we have with KOICA and WHO, we can offer better services to our people here in Busoga and across Uganda,” she said.
Dr. Atwine also called for efforts beyond infrastructure — strengthening referral systems, ensuring health workers are present and motivated, and increasing community awareness about the available services so that these facilities are fully utilized and their benefits felt by all.
Funded through a joint USD 10 million investment by KOICA and WHO, this project focused not only on fixing buildings but also on training health workers, improving district health leadership, and ensuring facilities are fully equipped to deliver quality reproductive, maternal, newborn, child, and adolescent health (RMNCAH) services. The improvements have already started making a difference, with more mothers attending antenatal care, more young people seeking services, and health workers reporting renewed motivation.
“This is about laying the foundation for healthier communities,” said Jihae Ahn, KOICA Uganda Country Director. “When we invest in better health services for mothers, children, and adolescents, we are investing in the future of Uganda.”
While Uganda has made progress in reducing maternal deaths — from 336 to 189 per 100,000 live births in the past decade — rural areas like Busoga continue to face challenges. Adolescent pregnancies remain high at over 25%, and nearly half of the health facilities previously couldn’t meet emergency care standards. These newly refurbished facilities aim to close that gap.
For women like Juliet Ajambo, a mother of three from Mayuge, these changes are already improving daily life. “Now when we come, the health workers treat us with care, and the medicines we need are available. We no longer have to travel far,” she shared.
WHO’s support is part of its wider effort to strengthen Uganda’s primary health care system, which currently reaches about 64% of the population. The goal is to ensure no one is left behind as the country works towards its 2030 health targets.
Dr. Kasonde Mwinga, WHO Representative in Uganda, described this milestone as a fresh beginning. “This is about more than buildings; it’s about dignity, access, and saving lives. It’s about making sure no woman dies while giving life, no child misses the chance to grow up healthy, and no young person is left without the care they need.”
For the people of Busoga, these health facilities bring more than medicine and services — they bring hope, trust, and a promise of better days ahead.
Source: World Health Organization (WHO)
