Parliament has granted Bukuya County MP Michael Bukenya permission to introduce a Bill seeking tougher regulation of health facilities and better protection of patients against poor medical care.
The proposed Quality Health Care and Patient Safety Bill, 2026, seeks to establish an independent authority to oversee the registration, licensing and inspection of health facilities across Uganda.
Moving the motion on Tuesday, October 13, 2026, Dr Bukenya said existing laws have failed to guarantee consistent healthcare standards and patient safety.
He argued that Uganda has several laws regulating medical professionals but lacks a comprehensive legal framework to ensure that all health facilities meet the same safety and quality requirements.
The Public Health Act mainly addresses disease prevention and sanitation, while the Medical and Dental Practitioners Act, the Nurses and Midwives Act and the Allied Health Professionals Act regulate different categories of medical workers.
According to Dr Bukenya, this arrangement has created gaps in the supervision of hospitals, clinics and other health facilities.
He said government hospitals, private hospitals and non-profit health facilities operate under different regulatory arrangements, making it difficult to enforce uniform standards.
“The absence of a single regulatory body with a comprehensive mandate overall health facilities has led to a fragmented regulatory framework, thereby limiting the establishment and enforcement of uniform requirements for registration and licensing, minimum standards for patient safety and quality-of-care,” he said.
Dr Bukenya also raised concerns about the limited options available to patients who suffer harm or receive poor treatment at health facilities.
He said patients often lack an independent institution where they can lodge complaints and seek redress.
Under the proposed law, Uganda would establish the Quality Health Care and Patient Safety Authority to regulate health facilities at national, regional, district and sub-county levels.
The authority would register and license facilities, maintain a national database, conduct inspections and enforce healthcare standards.
The Bill also proposes minimum requirements for staffing, medical equipment and clinical services to ensure that health facilities provide safe and reliable treatment.
It would introduce routine inspections based on the level of risk at each facility.
Another proposal seeks to establish an independent complaints mechanism through which patients can report suspected medical negligence, unsafe treatment and other concerns about the quality of care.
The mechanism would receive, investigate and determine complaints, offering patients a clearer avenue for seeking redress.
Ruhama County MP Beatrice Rwakimari, who seconded the motion, said the proposed legislation would address weaknesses that existing professional regulatory bodies cannot resolve.
She argued that healthcare regulation should extend beyond the qualifications and conduct of medical workers to include the safety of patients and the conditions under which treatment is provided.
Rwakimari said ensuring quality healthcare was not merely an administrative responsibility but a matter of protecting human life and dignity.
Parliament's approval allows Dr Bukenya to proceed with introducing the proposed legislation. The Bill must still undergo the parliamentary legislative process before it can become law.
