The Bank of Uganda has donated 17 patient monitors worth about Shs250 million to the Ministry of Health (Uganda) to support maternal and child healthcare services across the country, but the initiative has sparked debate online over the reported cost of the equipment.
According to reports, the monitors will be distributed to health centres and regional referral hospitals in districts including Soroti, Lira, and Fort Portal, among others. The devices are expected to help medical workers monitor patients’ vital signs such as heart rate, blood pressure and oxygen levels in real time.
Officials said the equipment will support post-operative care and high-dependency units, particularly in facilities where staffing levels are limited. The donation forms part of the central bank’s Safe Motherhood campaign, an initiative launched in 2016 to improve maternal and neonatal healthcare outcomes in Uganda.
However, the donation has triggered criticism on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), where some users questioned the reported cost of the devices. Based on the Shs250 million figure for 17 monitors, critics calculated the average price at about Shs14.7 million per unit, significantly higher than what some users claimed are market prices ranging between Shs1.5 million and Shs2.9 million.
Other commentators also questioned why a central bank was funding medical equipment that they argued should normally be procured through the health sector budget.
As of the latest reports, neither the Bank of Uganda nor the Ministry of Health had publicly responded to the concerns about the pricing of the equipment.
The donation comes amid ongoing discussions about funding gaps in Uganda’s health sector, where hospitals and health centres often face shortages of essential medical equipment and supplies.
