The Government of Uganda is set to procure 52 new ambulances at a cost of Shs20 billion** in the 2026/27 financial year as part of efforts to strengthen emergency medical services and improve patient referral systems across the country.
The planned fleet will include 50 Type B ambulances and two specialised Type C ambulances, according to Dr. Charles Akiya Oyoo, Commissioner for Non-Communicable Diseases at the Ministry of Health.
Speaking on behalf of the Director General of Health Services during the third Regional Health Assembly, also known as the Joint Review Mission 2026, in Lira City, Akiya said Uganda had **296 standard ambulances by June 2026**, representing only 54 percent of the required fleet. The country therefore faces a shortfall of **254 ambulances**, which continues to affect timely emergency referrals and access to critical care.
Akiya called for stronger cooperation among government, development partners and other stakeholders to close the ambulance gap. He also urged health facilities in the Lango Sub-region to improve service delivery, citing long patient waiting times, shortages of essential medicines, inconsistent adherence to clinical guidelines and weaknesses in infection prevention and control.
The meeting also raised concerns over the growing burden of sickle cell disease in the region. Lira Regional Referral Hospital Senior Executive Consultant Dr. Andrew Odur said prevalence is estimated at 20 to 25 percent, with the hospital’s sickle cell clinic receiving about 1,600 children and young people each week. He called for data-driven research, including documenting patients’ clan backgrounds, to identify possible patterns and guide targeted interventions.
Odur further urged health leaders to focus more on disease prevention rather than relying predominantly on curative care, particularly amid rising cases of non-communicable diseases, malaria and emerging disease outbreaks. He also raised concerns about drug theft, patient extortion, health-worker absenteeism and inadequate infrastructure.
Lango Parliamentary Group Chairperson and Oyam South County MP Patrick Ogwang Obura called for closer cooperation between political and technical leaders to address challenges affecting healthcare delivery. He urged the Ministry of Health to strengthen the funding, fuelling and management of ambulances, intensify malaria prevention campaigns and investigate the reported rise in cancer cases in the region.
Other leaders highlighted concerns including health-worker accountability, road traffic accidents, digital health systems and infrastructure challenges.
The two-day Regional Health Assembly, held under the theme “A Responsive, Sustainable Health System for 10-fold Growth,began on September 8 and concludes on September 9. It brings together local government leaders, health officials, development partners and other stakeholders to review healthcare delivery and identify solutions to challenges facing the sector.
Lira Regional Referral Hospital is one of Uganda’s 22 referral hospitals and serves nine districts and Lira City in the Lango Sub-region.
