Soi County Member of Parliament, Hon. Kisos Chemaswet, has voiced his frustrations over the inadequate health service delivery in his constituency. Speaking during a meeting with the Ministry of Health’s committee, Hon. Kisos passionately highlighted the dire state of healthcare in Soi, citing alarming statistics and personal accounts from his community.
The MP criticized the ministry’s report, which presented optimistic national health indicators, arguing they did not reflect the reality in his constituency. “In Soi, life expectancy is at 51 years, far below the national average of 67.7 years,” he said, adding that his constituency faces severe challenges, including high maternal mortality and infant mortality rates.
“Mr chair, I’ve come to this committee to hang myself. And the chair, I have come with my rope. And I will keep it here first. When we look at the report and the presentation of the minister, she’s talking of life expectancy adverse increasing from 67.7 years to 82.2 years but with us in Soi constituency, we are at 51 years which means we die early because we don’t have health centres,” Kisos said.
Hon. Kisos condemned the lack of healthcare infrastructure, revealing that residents must travel over 140 kilometers to access basic health services in Kween or Mbale districts. “Women are dying daily; even today, I received calls about deaths due to inaccessible health facilities,” he lamented.
He criticized the unequal distribution of resources, citing other districts that have multiple ambulances and upgraded health centers, while Soi remains neglected. “How can we talk about emergency services when my constituency does not even have an ambulance?”
Hon. Kisos also questioned the allocation of funds, emphasizing that Soi has not benefited from the billions of shillings allocated for healthcare. “Over 4 billion shillings are being discussed, yet my constituency is nowhere on the map,” he said.
The MP appealed to the health committee and Parliament to address the disparity and prioritize the establishment of healthcare facilities in neglected constituencies like Soi. “Who will speak for us?” he asked, urging immediate action to save lives in his community.
The impassioned plea from Hon. Kisos underscores the urgent need for equitable healthcare distribution across Uganda.
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