Ntungamo to boost border health care services as 98M raised towards Kizinga H/C II construction

Amos Tayebwa

Ntungamo

On Thursday 21 March 2022, Locals, Stakeholders and Leaders at all levels including Members of Parliament converged at Kizinga Play Ground in Kizinga Parish, Ngoma Sub-county in Rushenyi County, Ntungamo District to commemorate the belated Women’s Day as Ntungamo District with an aim of fundraising funds towards the construction of Kizinga Health Center II that will serve the border communities between Rwanda and Uganda.

This function was organised by the Woman MP Ntungamo District, Joseline Bata Kamateneti in collaboration with Ntungamo District Leadership including the Area MP Rushenyi County Naome Kabasharira.

This function was celebrated in a deep local area in Kizinga strategically to have a setup of reviving health care services among the communities that have been decrying poor health services in the area.

This initiative came up after the realisation of the Leaders mainly the Woman MP Kamateneti, that people, especially the women who have been moving long distances to access medical services from other Health centers like Rubare and Ngoma Health Center III.

Kizinga Health Center II is a Government Health institution that has for a long time been stalled due to lack of resources to have the project completed.

The project stalled after the death of Late John Kazoora, the Former Member of Parliament Rushenyi County who initiated the construction of this Health Center but later died before it was completed.

This is a facility that would serve a population of border communities between Ngoma Sub-county in Uganda and Nyagatare Sub-county in Rwanda.

A number of Residents normally cross from the nearest parts of Rwanda and move through Kizinga to other health centers in Rubare in search of medical Services.

This kind of a situation has prompted the Leaders to come to the rescue of the people living around this area and decided to construct this facility.

Under the strategy of MP Kamateneti and other Leaders they found it important to have a fundraising on the women’s day function purposely to raise some funds that will contribute towards the construction of a maternity ward, Labor ward and Medical Staff Quarters.

According to MP Kamateneti, most women’s day functions have for many years been celebrated in town centers leaving such deep local areas losing out.

She mentioned that as a Leader, she realised that the local communities like the people of Kizinga should access services and also achieve the benefits of such National celebration events like Women’s Day functions.

Kamateneti revealed that Ntungamo District was created in 1993, and the 31 years since then people have always gathered to celebrate such National ceremonies where they would come, celebrate, eat and go without setting up something that would keep a legacy.

“When I became Member of Parliament I said I should put a strategy that wherever we go for the functions like Women’s Day celebrations we should leave something that would benefit the community permanently. Last year, we went to Kishami and constructed a Girls dormitory for them and this year we have come to Kizinga to construct Kizinga Health Center II of which it had started way back in 1996 by Late Honourable Kazoora but when he died the project stalled. The message that I have for my fellow Leaders is that if you’re going to seek for leadership you have to thoroughly study your areas you lead and the history of those areas and the key demands of the people living in those areas. Basing on such experience, i made a study about Nugoma Sub-county’s most challenges and i found out that the major problem was Kizinga Health Center II, from then I made a decision that for Ntungamo District Women’s day celebrations must be held in Kizinga to have contributions towards the the construction of this Health Center. And by God’s grace we appreciate the First Lady Janet Kataha Museven who has contributed for us UGX. 50M and Hon Minister Alice Kaboyo who has pledged for us in her capacity UGX.10M for having represented the First Lady who was expected as the Chief Guest of Honor ” said Kamateneti , the Woman Member of Parliament Ntungamo District.

A number of Members of Parliament from Western Uganda turned up for this cause and supported the construction of the Health Center II facility. Among these include Catherine Ndamira, MP Kabale District, Mbarara District Woman MP Margret Rwebyambu, Rita Bwahika Woman MP Mbarara City, William Beijukye Zinkurateire, the MP Ruhama East among others.

The facility requires about UGX100M and according to the pledges, about UGX. 98M was raised towards the construction of a maternity ward, Labor ward and Medical Staff quarters at Kizinga Health Center II.

Naome Kabasharira, the Rushenyi County Member of Parliament says it was important to bring the Women’s Day function to Kizinga because its a rural area that still lacks a number of services. She says that this area has things which are unique, in that it’s hard for the people to access some of the services like health, water, roads among others.

“We feel great that this Kizinga Health Center II is going to be constructed to make health services accessible to the residents, we believe that when people have health everything can be done in their lives. As a leader, the most important thing I first concentrated on was health, and this is the reason why I worked hard and brought two Ambulances to Rushenyi, one is stationed in Rushoka Health Center IV and another one is stationed at Rubare Health Center IV, something that has helped our communities so much. We are optimistic that when this Health Center of Kizinga is constructed, and has medical staff in place, the communities will benefit much in terms of health services. Kizinga is located at the border, so this means the Health Center will both serve people from Rwanda and the Citizens of this area. We have always seen people from Rwanda crossing from Nyagatare moving through to Rubare to look for medical attention, but when we have this facility put in place it will help a very big population” said Kabasharira, Member of Parliament Rushenyi County.

Margret Rwebyambu, the Mbarara District Woman MP appealed to the residents to always support the Government in the areas that it has not extended some services. “We were more than 10 Members of Parliament who have turned up to give support to our fellow Members of Parliament for this area who are Kamateneti and Kabasharira, towards the construction of a health Center in Kizinga that will support the border communities” said MP Rwebyambu.

In the First Lady’s message through Minister Kaboyo, She appealed to the locals and Leaders to donate resources towards the construction of the Kizinga Health Center II to honor Late Kazora’s Memory and to help this border community.

“I am particularly grateful to the Ntungamo District and Rushenyi County Leadership for seeing it appropriate to revive this project as well as for the excellent work you have done in mobilising the community and all the well wishers gathered to support this noble cause. This Health Center is strategically positioned at the border post and will therefore provide the much needed health care services to the local communities in this area as well as an ever increasing population of travellers and immigrants who move to and from between Uganda and Rwanda.” said First Lady Janet Museven.

In her message, Janet Museven also made an appeal to the District Leadership to provide efficient oversite to the construction of work and to ensure good stewardship to both the financial and material resources once the work commences.