Jalamba Village Desperately Awaits Restoration of Abandoned Health Facility Now Used as Tomato Market
Jalamba Village, located in Buwama Town Council, Uganda, is grappling with a dire healthcare crisis after its only government health facility was abandoned and repurposed as a tomato market. For over 24 years, residents have been left without access to essential public health services, forcing them to rely on expensive private clinics or traditional herbal remedies, often with life-threatening consequences.
The health center, initially built between 2001 and 2006 as a Health Centre II, was briefly operational before falling into disrepair. Once a lifeline for the community, it provided critical services such as antenatal care, child immunizations, and basic first aid. Today, the dilapidated structure stands as a stark symbol of neglect, its doors closed to patients but open to tomato traders.
“We are suffering terribly here in Jalamba,” said one resident, reflecting on the facility’s earlier days. “When Henry Kityo was our Member of Parliament, we at least had access to first aid and treatment without traveling long distances. Now, we have nothing.”
The absence of healthcare services has hit pregnant women and children the hardest. Routine services like immunizations and prenatal checkups are now inaccessible for many, especially those lacking funds for transportation to the nearest clinic in Buwama. “If you have a pregnant woman or a child who needs immunizations and you don’t have money for transport, you just pray to God for survival,” another resident lamented.
The crisis deepens at night when nearby private clinics shut their doors, leaving residents without emergency medical care. “If someone falls sick at night and clinics are closed, death becomes inevitable, especially for families without transport money to Buwama,” said a community member.
In a bid to prevent the abandoned building from collapsing entirely, local vendors have transformed it into a tomato trading point. “We decided to use the building for selling tomatoes so it doesn’t go to waste completely,” one vendor explained with a touch of dark humor. “We still hope health workers will return someday. For now, tomatoes are our medicine, and our customers are the patients.”
The situation has drawn attention from Mpigi District leadership. Simon Peter Kawuki, a local leader, described the abandonment as unacceptable and vowed to prioritize the restoration of the health center once he officially assumes office. “It is unacceptable for the government to spend taxpayers’ money constructing a facility that later fails to serve the people. Residents are dying, pregnant mothers lack medical care, and people are living in fear,” Kawuki stated.
The facility’s construction during the 2001-2006 parliamentary term was a beacon of hope for Jalamba residents, but its prolonged neglect has left the community in despair. With growing demands for urgent government intervention, residents continue to hold onto hope that the health center will one day reopen its doors—not as a marketplace, but as a sanctuary of care and healing.
— Reported by Nexio News
