Kawolo hospital to get facelift

To be renovated. The Out-Patient Department at Kawolo hospital. PHOTO BY HERBERT MUGAGGA

What you need to know:

  • Underway. The hospital, according to Dr Joshua Kiberu, the hospital medical superintendent, will be handed over to the contractor on Friday for renovation.

BUIKWE.

The long wait for the renovation of Kawolo hospital seems to be over following government assurance that the project will finally kick off tomorrow with the ground-breaking ceremony expected to be presided over by President Museveni.

Kawolo hospital, built in 1968, is among the dilapidated health facilities in the country where refurbishment or re-equipping has taken place since then.

Dr Joshua Kiberu, the hospital medical superintendent, told Daily Monitor on Wednesday that the hospital will officially be handed over to the contractor on Friday to enable them kick-off the renovation exercise.

He said the exercise will include construction of a trauma centre, a modern mortuary, four staff houses and two operating theatres.

“We have waited so long to have these renovations and we are happy that government has lived to its promise. The work will include, expanding the hospital and constructing more staff houses to give the hospital a new look,” he said.

Renovation
The contractor, according to Dr Kiberu, is also expected to pull down the building accommodating the out-patient department and set up a new and modern one.

The renovation will be undertaken by Excel Construction Company Ltd. It will cost Shs39b, including equipping the hospital with modern facilities, and is expected to be completed in 18 months, according to Dr Kiberu.

The promise to give Kawolo hospital a facelift was made in 2007 and the President has always been promising locals during campaigns that he was going to ensure that the hospital is renovated soon.

“Many people in the area had lost hope with some saying the President was only making such a promise for purposes of getting votes,” said Mr Steven Mugoya, the Lugazi Municipality councillor representing Kikawula Ward, where the hospital is located .

Mr Mugoya asked the contractor to restrain from doing shoddy work.

“In some areas where government has done projects like this one, buildings are either leaking, or have developed cracks before they are commissioned. We don’t expect to see such a thing here and I promise to lead a massive demonstration in this area the day I will see any shoddy works here, ’’ said Mr Mugoya, who promised to monitor the project.

Mr Mugoya said although the old hospital was constructed more than 50 years ago, it still looks strong, meaning there was good workmanship.
“This is what we expect Excel Construction Company to do as they renovate this health facility,’’ said Mugoya.

“We ask our people, especially those who go there for treatment to bear with us but we assure them that they will have improved structures and services soon,” he added.

Using a Shs153b World Bank loan, government has so far managed to rehabilitate Anaka in Nwoya District, Nakaseke, Kiryandongo, Mityana, Iganga, Entebbe and Moroto hospitals.

Kawolo hospital is among the public health facilities across the country, which are in a sorry state.

The facility has spent three years without clean water; a situation that has compromised hygiene at the hospital. The hospital has an in-patient capacity of 122 beds and less than five doctors, but serves more than 1.3million people around Buikwe, Buvuma and Mukono districts annually.

The facility, located on the accident prone Jinja-Kampala highway, receives more than five accident victims daily, but it has one functional ambulance. It also lacks a mortuary attendant and the mortuary fridge broke down years ago.

In 2015, government said it had secured Shs22b to give the hospital a facelift, and the renovation was expected to kick off early last year, but this did not take place.