Kampala, Uganda — April 11, 2026 — A growing disconnect between government policy and frontline realities is laying bare deep structural failures within Uganda’s public health system, with unemployed doctors and vanishing medicines emerging as the most visible symptoms of a sector under strain.
At the center of the criticism is Ndagishe Aliyi, a senior educationist and Chief Executive Officer of Ali Medical Hospital, who has delivered a scathing assessment of what he describes as misplaced national priorities.
His warning is stark: while thousands of trained doctors remain idle, public health facilities across the country continue to operate with severe staffing shortages and chronic drug stock-outs.
Each year, universities release a new cohort of medical graduates into a job market that is unable — or unwilling — to absorb them. Many remain unemployed or underemployed for extended periods, even as patients in government hospitals endure long waiting hours, limited attention, and overburdened health workers.
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The contradiction is difficult to ignore. A country producing increasing numbers of qualified doctors continues to struggle with inadequate healthcare delivery, particularly in rural and underserved areas.
Dr. Aliyi argues that the problem is not a lack of human resources but a failure of prioritization and execution.
His remarks come at a time when the government is moving forward with a phased 25 percent salary increment for arts teachers in government-aided secondary schools, a policy announced by Jessica Alupo and set to take effect in July 2026. While the move is intended to address disparities within the education sector, it has sparked renewed scrutiny over budget allocation across critical sectors.
For critics, the contrast is stark: one sector receives swift financial intervention, while another—directly tied to public health and survival—continues to grapple with persistent neglect.
Beyond the staffing crisis, Dr. Aliyi points to a more insidious problem undermining the healthcare system — the widespread theft and diversion of essential medicines from public facilities.
Reports of government-supplied drugs disappearing from hospital stores and reappearing in private pharmacies or informal markets have become increasingly common. Patients who seek care in public hospitals are often told to purchase medicines that are officially listed as available, placing an additional financial burden on already vulnerable populations.
According to Dr. Aliyi, this is not merely a logistical failure but a systemic breakdown in accountability.
He argues that the continued leakage of medical supplies reflects weak oversight mechanisms, gaps in monitoring systems, and insufficient deterrence for those involved in the illegal trade of public drugs.
Although the government has acknowledged the issue and proposed measures such as digitizing drug management systems and strengthening regulatory frameworks, implementation remains inconsistent. Enforcement efforts have yielded some arrests, but these are widely seen as isolated actions rather than evidence of a sustained crackdown.
Meanwhile, the consequences continue to play out in hospitals and health centers across the country.
In many rural facilities, a handful of health workers are forced to serve large populations with limited resources. In urban centers, overcrowding and burnout are becoming increasingly common, further stretching an already fragile system.
Dr. Aliyi maintains that the solutions are clear and achievable: prioritize the recruitment of medical graduates into public service, strengthen control over drug supply chains, and treat healthcare as a central pillar of national development rather than a secondary concern.
Failure to act decisively, he warns, risks entrenching a dangerous status quo—one in which trained professionals remain sidelined while patients struggle for basic care and where life-saving medicines exist within the system but fail to reach those who need them most.
As pressure mounts, the question facing policymakers is no longer whether the problems exist, but whether there is sufficient political will to confront them before the cracks in the system widen further.
written by @enock katamba
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Enock Katamba – Journalist | Founder of Uncovered Ug (uncoveredug.com)
Enock Katamba is a Ugandan journalist and founder of Uncovered Uganda, a digital online news platform covering health, national news, entertainment, celebrity gossip, music, education, business, sports, and international news. He focuses on delivering accurate, timely, and reliable information to keep the public informed.
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