The Department of Health is headed by the District Health Officer whose mandate is guided by the District 5 Year Strategic Plan that focuses on the achievement of equity through increased access to Minimum Health Care Package (MHCP), Quality care, efficiency accountability and transparency. 

The overall goal of the department is to provide good quality services to the people of Budaka district in particular and Uganda in general so as to make them attain good standards of health in order to live a healthy and reproductive life.  The objective is to reduce morbidity and mortality from the major causes of ill health and premature health and disparities therein". The Local Government health function is to provide primary healthcare services.

This is achieved through the following outputs: healthcare management services, medical supplies for health facilities, health promotion services, promotion of sanitation and hygiene, NGO basic healthcare services, basic healthcare services among others. Budaka district has 21 health facilities of different categories of which 16 are Government by establishment,01PNFP(Namengo HC111) and 04 are Private For Profit(PFP).The District has no Government hospital.For the Government established health facilities,02 are at HC level II though Kebula HC11 is under upgrade by MOH.13 are at HC level III and only 01 HC level IV.These facilities report to the district on a monthly basis as required.However,some of the health facilities lack basic equipment to offer reasonable basic healthcare services and as well require equipping. Besides diseases, poor nutrition has contributed to worrying situation. Because of cross cutting nature of health issues, there is need for an integrated approach to health.

There are various NGOs both Local and International that are involved in AIDS prevention and control in the district. Such activities include blood screening and counselling, medical treatment, home care, health education, AIDS research and orphan support. The implementing partners include SDS-USAID, Global fund and WHO for budget support. Rain Uganda, Leonard Cheshire Home-Namengo,RHITES-E,BAYLOR-UGANDA,RHU,Marie-stopes,PMI-Vectorlink,Heroes programme(AMREF),Mbale Area Federation of communities(MAFOC),PPDA,Bulamu International,RainUganda and SAFRI.THey support the district in Maternal and Child -Health,HIV/TB,Family planning and advocacy,Malaria prevention,Gender Based Violence and Rights,Advocacy,Health System strengthening and Neunatal care

Health Infrastructure
This section classifies the distribution of health facilities within Budaka district.
Over the years, since the inception of the District in July 2006, infrastructural development and improvement in the existing Government aided health facilities was one of the overarching priority of the District health sector.

Each health facility has at least one Out-Patient-Department (OPD) on top of other health infrastructure.The number, size and type of infrastructure on any given health facility depend on grade or level in the health hierarchy of the minimum health care package for Uganda. HCII has only an OPD, HCIII has OPD and Martenity, HCIV has OPD, Martenity and a sergical operation threatre. At the District headquarters, a District medical store was built under equalisation grant and PHC development.

It can be observed that all the 16 government aided health facilities at various levels of service delivery have out patient health facilities (OPDs). Most health facilities have only one block of housing unit to accommodate 1-2 health staff except Namusiita,Iki-Iki and Katira HC111 and Budaka HCIV with 14 blocks. 

This makes it very difficult to provide emergency services by health workers on call. The status of beds for both adults and children is presented in table for each facility.Most facilities have adequate bed capacity apart from Budaka HCIV whose admission is more compared to the bed capacity with a limited ward space.

Budaka HCIV has only one general ward to accommodate male and female adults together with children. There is only one martenity ward in Budaka HCIV. However the District has taken an initiative to construct martenity/general wards in all HCIII with funding from from sector development. So far, the following health facilities; Namusita HCIII, Kebula HCII are being aided by MOH. In total, there are 16 martenities/general wards in the 16 Government aided facilities.All the 16 health facilities have motorcycles and bicycles for outreach services provided by MOH for immunisation apart from IKI and Lyama.The district now has an Ambulance donated by MOH.The  department now also has 05 vehicles supporting it to deliver service to the people.