Gov’t suspends human organ transplant over Shs 5 billion budget shortfall

The Minister of Health, Dr Jane Aceng, has said that Uganda has halted all Human Organ Transplant activities due to the government’s failure to provide Shs5 billion for the functionalisation of the Human Organ Transplant Council.

Dr Aceng made the revelation while appearing before Parliament’s Health Committee to present the 2024/25 ministerial policy statement for the Ministry of Health. The Minister explained that of the required Shs5 billion, the Ministry intends to spend Shs3.6 billion on training and benchmarking from other nations, whereas Shs 1.4 billion is for the Council’s operations.

“We have halted all transplant activities because we need a Council in place. Yesterday, as you were touring the surgical exhibition, you saw the ready facilities. They can’t operate unless we have a Council, and the Council has to be trained because it is virgin land in Uganda,” said Minister Aceng.

Section 13 of the Uganda Human Organ Donation and Transplant Act, 2023, provides the functions of the Council, which include regulating, organising, and supervising the national organ, tissue, and cell donation and transplant; regulating designated transplant centres and approved banks; enforcing standards; regulating the allocation of organs; and overseeing the national waiting list.

“The Ministry of Finance, when you look at the unfunded priorities, I want to know what is your priority for the health sector? We have an Organ Transplant Council that needs Shs5Bn, and you can’t provide the money. I know the title is Ministry of Finance and Planning; today, I won’t talk about Finance; I will talk about planning. If you can’t plan for the Shs5Bn, then what are you planning for the health sector? Because this affects Mulago, it affects several other facilities that are supposed to begin the organ transplant itself,” said Samuel Opio, Kole North MP.

Committee Chairperson Dr Charles Ayume said the Ministry of Finance needs to be compelled to provide the requisite funds to run the council because some health facilities are ready to embark on organ transplants in Uganda.

“We were at Kololo Independence Grounds at the Scientific Association of Surgeons of Uganda’s Annual Surgical Landscape Exhibition, and clearly, there are entities that are ready to conduct organ transplants. One of them is Lubaga Hospital. They are more than ready to start liver transplants, and of course, Mulago did its first flagship kidney transplant. So, we need this Council in place,” Dr. Ayume said.

While the country celebrated the first kidney transplant that was successfully done at the Mulago National Referral Hospital, the Minister said that there was no way such procedures could continue to be undertaken without a functioning Council.

“When I interacted with these people, they gave me good guidance that we have good facilities; actually, we have nearly three or four hospitals ready. Our Council needs to be trained, and not only in India, but they also need to benchmark in other countries so that we have a solid Council that is capable. We have identified members of the Council; we can’t appoint them because we don’t have money to send them for training,” said Aceng.

During the Meeting, the Minister also asked legislators sitting on the Committee to excuse her from responding to any questions about the International Specialised Hospital Lubowa following the Office of the Prime Minister’s takeover of the project supervision.

“I request that you excuse me. I don’t respond on Lubowa for many reasons. Thank you in advance,” she said.

Her remarks followed an issue raised by Dr. George Bokha, Obongi County MP, who asked why the Ministry of Health’s ministerial policy statement didn’t provide an update on the construction works of the controversial facility.

In the last supplementary budget approved by Parliament, the Ministry of Health was providing at least Shs 2 billion for the supervision of the construction activities at Lubowa. It needs to be clarified whether that Budget has now been transferred to the Office of the Prime Minister.