Shs20b Mbale hospital surgical ward project stalls

Status. The stalled works of the surgical complex at Mbale Regional Referral Hospital on Monday. PHOTO BY PHEOBE MASONGOLE.

What you need to know:

Background. The construction of the ward started in 2016 and was scheduled for completion this month.

The construction of a Shs20 billion surgical ward at Mbale Regional Referral Hospital in Mbale District has stalled over lack of funds.
The construction of the ward, which has a 300-bed capacity and nine theatres, started in 2016 and was scheduled for completion this month.
However, the contractor, Global Networks Company Limited, has since abandoned the project, with works at 25 per cent.
The hospital director, Dr Emmanuel Tugaineyo, on Monday said the project hit a snag due to poor funding.
“A number of issues, which included limited release of funds from government, forced the construction to stall,” Dr Tugaineyo said.
He explained that they have since parted ways with the contractor.
“We went through all the formal ways and luckily, the contractor himself had no disagreement in accepting to terminate his contract,” Dr Tugaineyo said.
Attempts to reach the construction company officials for a comment were futile. Dr Tugaineyo said the government was supposed to release Shs5 billion in four financial years towards the project but reduced the money to Shs2 billion, which he said was too little for the project to be completed in four years as projected.
He said they are now in the process of finding a new contractor.
“We have secured the statement of consultants with new BOQs [bills of quantities] but we are consulting both the Ministry of Health and that of Finance, who are our advisers,” Dr Tugaineyo said.
The district chairperson, Mr Bernard Mujasi, said they will engage government over the stalled building.
“We are concerned and we are going to engage the government because the hospital serves many people in this region,” he said.
The senior public relations officer in the Ministry of Health, Mr Emmanuel Ainebyona, said he needed time to first consult about the status of the construction project.
“I have to ask the director of planning and infrastructural development in our ministry before I can comment,” he said on Monday.

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