Reduce budget on treating gov’t officials abroad – Ggoobi!

Secretary to Treasury, Ramathan Ggoobi has asked Parliament to consider the proposal of funding Uganda’s health sector, instead of allocating funds for the medical treatment to top Government officials abroad.

Ggoobi made the remarks as the officials from Ministry of Finance appeared before the Budget Committee of Parliament to discuss the Budget Framework Paper for 2024/25.

“There are very few Ugandans who go abroad, maybe we need to think as leaders, going forward, these monies we allocate for going abroad for treatment why don’t we allocate it further to strengthen our own institutions? We need to have this conversation,” said Ggoobi.

Ggoobi however didn’t address Ssemujju’s remarks on Lubowa hospital where billions were allocated and nothing was done. He instead defended his proposal remarking, “I am putting a very clear statement, the money which goes abroad, why don’t we use it to improve our systems and because I have seen many Ugandans who live longest and we are all treated here, in other words, the system isn’t bad but sometimes I think people go abroad for other reasons, we need to also address these issues.” Ggoobi emphasized!

Ssemuju Nganda asking Ggoobi

Ugandans have on several occasions wondered why government officials continue to die in foreign countries yet they should work on Ugandan Hospitals. The latest prominent figure to die abroad was former Dokolo District Woman MP Cecilia Ogwal who died of cancer in India last week