Oyam, Uganda | A new Health Centre III has been commissioned in Iceme Subcounty, Oyam District, in a bid to expand access to healthcare services in rural areas.
The facility, constructed by Buildmast Engineering Ltd at a cost of UGX 1.8 billion under the Uganda Intergovernmental Fiscal Transfers (UGIFT) programme, was officially handed over to Oyam District Local Government on Wednesday, 20 August 2025.
The in-charge of Okwir Health Centre III, Adupa Tobby, revealed that the facility began operations on 1 July 2024 under a tent with only three staff working in difficult conditions.
He said the centre has since operated with seven staff, three technical and four support workers, well below the Ministry of Health’s recommended staffing levels.
The unit currently lacks essential personnel such as a laboratory technician and midwives.
Adupa also confirmed that the facility has yet to receive medical supplies from the National Medical Stores and has been relying on borrowed drugs from neighbouring health units.
Chairperson of the Health Management Committee, Peter Agang, praised the local community for donating land for the project and said the collaboration between staff and the contractor had been smooth.
He asked the district to prioritise the provision of water and electricity to the health centre.
Community members expressed relief that the facility would reduce long journeys previously made to access medical services, saying that the absence of a nearby health unit had led to preventable deaths, especially among expectant mothers.
They pledged to donate more land should expansion be needed.
Oyam District Senior Engineer Robert Owiny confirmed that construction had been completed in full despite delays.
The first phase included two staff houses, a maternity block, a four-stance drainable pit latrine, a placenta pit, and a medical waste pit.
A similar package of works was also delivered at Acokara Health Centre III in Otwal Subcounty at the same cost of UGX 1.8 billion under the same contractor.
Additional works were executed under separate contracts, including an UGX 850 million outpatient block, a twin staff house, line latrines, fencing and paved walkways by Sany Ventures Company Ltd, and a UGX 360 million triplet staff house by Alliance Technical Service Ltd.
Assistant District Health Officer Caroline Agaro admitted that staffing gaps remain but pledged that more health workers would be deployed by the end of September this year.
She urged existing staff to deliver maximum care, utilise the new facilities, and reside in the quarters provided.
She also announced that the centre would begin receiving medical supplies directly from National Medical Stores during this financial year.
Agaro added that efforts were underway to secure a land title for the facility.
During the handover, contractor Romeo Muhangi of Buildmast Engineering Ltd presented the facility to Resident District Commissioner (RDC) James Shilaku, who cautioned staff against extorting patients or stealing drugs.
Oyam LCV Chairperson, Benson Walter Dila Oyuku, described Okwir as a hard-to-reach area separated from Oyam Town Council by a large swamp and called on government to construct a bridge through the Smart Agriculture project.
He said the district had already allocated funds for piped water to serve both the facility and the local community and confirmed that solar power installation would be implemented this financial year ahead of rural electrification.
RDC Shilaku applauded the district leadership for prioritising healthcare, saying the new facility would significantly improve service delivery in Iceme Subcounty.
Oyam District now has a total of 17 Health Centre IIIs, including the newly commissioned Okwir and Acokara Health Centres, aimed at expanding health coverage and reducing maternal and child mortality in the district.