Yumbe District Takes Bold Initiative To Invest In Health Through Education

YUMBE: Yumbe District in West Nile region is taking an innovative approach to improve healthcare services for its residents by sponsoring local students to pursue health-related courses at university. 

This visionary idea, championed by the LC5 Chairperson, Abdul Twaib Asiku, is set to transform the health landscape of the district.

Yumbe District has 45 health facilities with 15 health centre IIs, 26 health center IIIs, 3 health center IVs and one regional hospital with gap in health workers.  

“We have been improving infrastructure in the district and we realized that simply building health centers wasn’t enough if we didn’t have the skilled personnel to staff them. We had challenge of health workers.  Now we have committed our local revenue to sponsor 5 students to improve health service provision in Yumbe district,” explained Asiku. 

He added that: “Our people deserve quality healthcare, and this program is a direct investment in that future. We want to see in the near future that we sponsor more than ten students to pursue medical bachelor of medicine and surgery at Kampala International University. We want to see this continue.” 

The district’s commitment means that promising students from Yumbe are now getting the opportunity to become doctors, nurses, clinical officers, and other essential healthcare professionals. 

This initiative addresses a critical shortage of qualified medical staff, ensuring that once these students graduate, they will return to serve their own communities.

“The parents have been unable to pay these students in school. This is my initiative. At least this year, I want to sponsor 5 students. Each student has been given 7.4 million each semester, and for the five students, we are spending about 37 million shillings per semester and in a year, we pay about 74 million. We are getting this money from the local revenue. We get from the nonwage component where the district can do some bit of flexibility and to me that’s the way to go,” Asiku explained to this reporter shortly his NRM primary election nomination in Kampala over the weekend. 

A Visionary Leader with great Achievements:

Abdul Twaib Asiku’s leadership impact has been instrumental in spearheading this and many other developmental projects in Yumbe. 

Beyond the groundbreaking health education sponsorship, his tenure as LC5 Chairperson has been marked by a relentless pursuit of progress. 

His achievements include:

Significant improvements in road infrastructure, connecting previously isolated communities and facilitating trade and access to services.

Enhanced access to clean water through the drilling of new boreholes and rehabilitation of existing water sources, directly impacting public health and livelihoods.

Promotion of education through various initiatives, including advocating for better school facilities and encouraging higher enrollment rates.

Strengthening local governance and community participation, fostering a sense of ownership and collective responsibility in the district’s development.

Asiku’s dedication to his district is evident in these tangible improvements, making Yumbe a beacon of progress in the region. 

His focus on sustainable solutions, like investing in human capital through education, promises a healthier and more prosperous future for all residents.

“So, the leadership has been divided, and I want to appeal to my people to avoid divisionism and embrace development. On 24 July, we are getting into primary elections, let’s consolidate the Achievements we have made and continue to work together as a team,” Asiku appealed to his voters.