Nakivale : refugees die due to the lack of doctors and funding

SOS Médias Burundi

Nakivale, January 14, 2026 – The only referral hospital in the Nakivale refugee camp in Uganda recorded 12 deaths in one week, including nine children under the age of five, due to a critical shortage of medical staff. Refugees are raising the alarm about this dramatic situation.

A crisis linked to staff reductions

Towards the end of 2025, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) significantly reduced medical staff in hospitals under its jurisdiction, including the one in Nakivale. At Nyarugugu Health Center IV, the camp’s recently renovated and equipped central referral hospital, only three nurses remain out of the 92 previously employed, while more than 100 patients are admitted daily.

“They are victims of poor reception and follow-up care. There isn’t enough medical staff, the operating room has stopped functioning because there are no doctors, and four ambulances are parked because there’s only one driver. We’re expecting the worst!” laments a medical volunteer working at the hospital.

According to him, three nurses cannot fill the void left by more than 90 healthcare professionals, and patients in pediatrics, maternity, and the pharmacy—which is itself often empty of medication—are severely neglected.

“How are they supposed to properly care for all these patients? It’s impossible. The UNHCR has sacrificed us,” adds the volunteer.

Refugees in distress

Faced with this situation, the refugees are calling for the resumption of transfers to other hospitals, such as the one in Mbarara, which were recently suspended, in order to save lives.

The UNHCR explains that the staff reduction is due to a lack of funding, particularly the suspension of US aid, which covered more than 60% of its annual budget. The agency is calling for the release of donations to ensure the proper functioning of hospitals in Nakivale and other camps.

A constantly growing refugee population

The Nakivale camp is home to more than 150,000 refugees, including over 33,000 Burundians, who face difficult living conditions and severely inadequate healthcare infrastructure.