Nebbi hospital to be disconnected over Shs 800m water bill arrears

Nebbi General hospital faces disconnection from the National Water and Sewerage Corporation (NWSC) grid due to accumulated bills.

The hospital has outstanding domestic arrears amounting to Shs 794.3 million as of March 31, 2023, according to the letter of notice of disconnection signed by Dr Eng Silver Mugisha, NWSC managing director.

Nebbi hospital administrator Christopher Ongom says the unpaid water bills have accumulated over a period of 8-10 years. According to Ongom, they have not accumulated new arrears as of November last year due to the timely payment of the monthly water bill.

The hospital was elevated as a general hospital in 1973 to serve a catchment population of 36,637 people then, but the facility now serves a population of over 450,000 people from communities in Zombo, Pakwach, Madi-Okollo districts and parts of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Nebbi district chairperson Emmanuel Orombi acknowledged that his office is aware of the accumulated water bills of the hospital, but adds that the district with support from UNICEF is constructing an underground water system which he says will go a long way in reducing water bills at the facility.

But, Robert Omito Steen, the Pakwach district chairperson has asked the government to increase funding to the hospital since more patients seek services at the facility.

In 2013, Nebbi hospital's water supply was disconnected over accumulated bills, which forced attendants and the staff to resort to using water from river Nyacara. Records at the hospital indicate that the facility spends on average 2.5 million per month on water bills.