Parliament has approved a motion allowing Kabale Regional Referral Hospital sublease five acres of land to Kabale University, clearing the way for the university to expand its Faculty of Medicine.

The Minister of Health, Ruth Aceng presented the proposal during the plenary sitting of Thursday, 31 July 2025.

Kabale University made the request in August 2022.

The university aims to build new teaching and medical facilities, including specialized clinics, patient wards, lecture halls and operating rooms.

Aceng said the move is a major boost for medical training and healthcare in southwestern Uganda noting that Kabale Regional Referral Hospital serves over 2.4 million people, including patients from Rwanda.

“This is more than just a land deal, it is an investment in better healthcare, stronger medical education and growth for the Kigezi sub-region and beyond,” Aceng said.

She noted that the expansion will help the university train more doctors and nurses for the region, addressing a critical shortage of healthcare workers in districts like Kabale, Kanungu, Ntungamo, Kisoro and Rukungiri.

Currently Kabale University's medical school operates out of run-down hospital building that is set for demolition. Aceng emphasised that the sublease will allow the university to create a modern medical school and teaching hospital.

“This will improve training, enhance research, and bring better healthcare closer to the communities that need it most,” she said.

The Koboko Municipality MP, Hon. Charles Ayume said the motion was timely considering the state of the Medical school and its symbiotic relationship with the Regional Referral Hospital.

“A Medical school and hospital have a symbiotic relationship where they all benefit. The University does the teaching but the hospital benefits from extra services of lecturers and students during their training,” said Ayume adding that,“We had queried the type of doctors that will come from that dilapidated building”.

Tororo District Woman MP, Hon. Sarah Opendi asked fellow legislators to look into the status of Regional Referral Hospitals across the country, saying most are performing way below the capacity of a regional referral hospital.

“Kabale Regional Referral Hospital is challenged in terms of space and infrastructure, it remains a 100 bed capacity hospital which is below the requirement of a regional referral hospital,” Opendi said.

She noted that most of the regional referral hospitals are understaffed between 25 to 30 percent staffing level, praying that it should be addressed in the next budget cycle.

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