Mukono Municipality has received a major boost in its health emergency services with the addition of two modern Type B ambulances, a donation from UNICEF under the Global Road Safety Project.
The vehicles are expected to significantly improve emergency response and post-crash care along the Kampala-Jinja highway, one of Uganda’s busiest and most accident-prone routes.
The ambulances each fully equipped with advanced life-saving tools and staffed by trained emergency medical personnel–will serve Mukono North and Mukono South Divisions.
The move follows a government review that identified Mukono as a strategic location for emergency services due to its rapid urbanization and its position as a gateway to eastern Uganda.
Speaking at the handover ceremony held at the Ministry of Health headquarters in Kampala, Dr. Daniel Kyabayinze, the Director of Public Health, who represented Permanent Secretary Dr. Diana Atwine, said the Ministry will fund fuel and maintenance to ensure the ambulances remain fully operational.
“Under the 2021 National Emergency Medical Services Policy, all Type B ambulances must be equipped with standard life-support equipment and qualified personnel,” Dr. Kyabayinze said.
“Ambulance coverage in Uganda has improved significantly from just 2% in 2021 to 54% today. We are also finalizing the establishment of a national emergency call center with the code 912 to make ambulance services easily accessible to all citizens.”
Mukono Resident District Commissioner (RDC) Hajjat Fatuma Ndisaba welcomed the donation, noting that the ambulances will greatly enhance the district’s capacity to handle emergencies.
“Mukono is among the fastest-growing districts, and with the increasing population and heavy road traffic, road crashes remain a major cause of death,” Ndisaba noted. “These ambulances will not only help victims of road accidents but also improve maternal and child health services.”
According to the 2024 National Population and Housing Census, Mukono District has a population of 929,224 residents, making it one of the most densely populated districts in Uganda.
At Mukono General Hospital, where an average of 930 babies are delivered monthly, health officials said the new ambulances would also support the referral and timely management of maternal and child health emergencies.
“This intervention will help us save more mothers and newborns who often arrive late due to lack of reliable transport,” one hospital official noted.
The Ministry of Health reaffirmed its commitment to working with development partners like UNICEF to strengthen Uganda’s emergency medical systems and ensure that no life is lost due to delayed response or lack of medical transportation.