Parliament, NUP deny abandoning Ssegirinya as hospital bill shoots to Shs.80M

The parliamentary spokesman Chris Obore yesterday, dismissed the allegations by the Kawempe North MP that the House had "refused" to clear his medical bill at Dutch Hospital, leaving him stranded

Mr. Ssegirinya, while speaking from the hospital bed at the UMC Hospital in Amsterdam, accused parliament of declining to help him with his bulging bill.

The MP revealed that the bill had accumulated to Shs. 80 million and can only multiply now since he’s been advised to remain admitted for the next two months.

Ssegirinya in a video chat with fellow legislator Muhammad Nsereko which went viral on Monday, revealed that he is battling skin cancer and a host of other serious infections to his lungs and liver.

“I have two swellings on my liver that need to be removed,” he narrated.

“Recently I got an endoscopy, which nearly took my life. I was unconscious for nearly 5 hours. What hurts me is that the doctors keep announcing new deceases, which means more money.”

Hon Muhammad Ssegirinya on his hospital bed pulse uganda

Asked if he had received any support from Parliament, the MP said he had been ignored.

“The sad thing is that Parliament is going around telling people how they are helping me, but I can tell you that Parliament has refused to help me,” he said.

“Yet they have been helping other people.”

In response, however, Mr Obore said Ssegirinya failed to officially inform the Medical Board before flying out of the country.

“Parliament cannot neglect any MP when they have health complications. There is already an insurance scheme for each member and immediate family,” he said.

“However, for any treatment outside the country , parliament only foots the medical bills upon clearance by the Medical Board as provided in law.”

“For the case of Hon Mohammed Segirinya, he traveled out of the country without Medical Board clearance, without notification to the Speaker and even Leader of the Opposition. It makes it hard for parliament to process public funds for such a case.”

Obore further revealed that the Kawempe MP’s handlers have been reaching out to parliament and this procedure was explained to them.

“To go to social media to attract public sympathy while ignoring the law is not a good example to set. Indeed Hon Segirinya needs support but the handlers must be mindful of the law when it comes to public funds.”

Meanwhile, the Leader of Opposition in Parliament Hon Mathias Mpuuga in a statement also faulted Hon Ssegirinya for informing neither the parliamentary leadership nor his own party, before he left the country.

“I learned of his condition last week. Tuesday. I5 August 2023 and the office reached out to him. I established that he traveled without any notification to the LOP’s office and the NUP party headquarters. I accordingly communicated to the party, including the President. Hon Robert Kyagulanyi,” said Mpuuga.

Nonetheless, Mpuuga said his office is following up on the matter to ensure the MP is supported.