06/09/2026
*60+ YEARS AFTER INDEPENDENCE: WHY ARE WE STILL EXPORTING PATIENTS?*
The passing of Omukama Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru IV while receiving specialised cancer treatment abroad should make us mourn and reflect.
It is painful that even our highest cultural leaders must seek care outside Uganda. The Kabaka has needed prolonged treatment abroad, and the Omusinga of Rwenzururu is reportedly away for medical review.
This forces a difficult question: Why, more than 60 years after Independence, can we still not provide world-class specialised care at home?
Uganda once had one of the strongest health systems in the region. We have since invested in buildings, but neglected the fundamentals that save lives — specialist doctors, diagnostics, cancer care, medicines, technology, research, and a functional referral system.
If those with resources must fly out, what happens to the ordinary Ugandan who cannot afford a ticket?
This is not just a health-sector failure. It is a political choice.
Government must stop treating health as a recurrent cost and start treating it as a strategic national investment. Every Ugandan deserves quality healthcare at home.
Health is not a luxury. It is dignity, and a fundamental responsibility of government.
