Hello

Your subscription is almost coming to an end. Don’t miss out on the great content on Nation.Africa

Ready to continue your informative journey with us?

Hello

Your premium access has ended, but the best of Nation.Africa is still within reach. Renew now to unlock exclusive stories and in-depth features.

Reclaim your full access. Click below to renew.

Govt breaks ground for Shs268b heart hospital

Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja (holding flag) flanked by the Health Minister, Dr Ruth Aceng, at the commissioning of the construction of the heart hospital at Naguru, Kampala, on January 4, 2025. PHOTO/STEPHEN OTAGE

What you need to know:

  • The 250-bed modern facility is expected to enhance cardiac care, training, and research in Uganda and the entire region.

The government has launched the construction of a $73 million (Shs268.6 billion) specialised heart hospital in Naguru, Kampala, aimed at improving access to care. 

The 250-bed modern facility will sit on 10 acres of land located about six kilometres away from the Kampala City centre.

This hospital complex, according to the design, will have three blocks; a clinical block, an administration block and an accommodation block. The complex will house three operating theatres, two catheterisation labs and 40 state-of-the-art cardiac intensive care unit beds. 

Catheterisation is a medical procedure that involves inserting a thin, flexible tube called a catheter into a body vessel to diagnose and treat a variety of conditions.

The construction has been funded by the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) Fund which gave $20 million – about Shs73.6b. The rest of the money came from the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa (BADEA) Fund ($20 million), Saudi Fund ($30 million - about Shs110 billion) and the government of Uganda ($3 million – about Shs11 billion).

President Museveni, in his speech read by Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja during the ground-breaking ceremony yesterday, asked the contractor to deliver the project within two years, which was agreed on.

“I urge all stakeholders — government agencies, project supervisors, contractors, and the Uganda Heart Institute leadership —to ensure timely delivery of this project. 

Delays must not be entertained at any level,” the President directed.

“The people of Uganda deserve a fully operational, world-class heart institute within the agreed timeframe. I expect strict supervision to guarantee value for money and the highest standards of quality. Let me take this opportunity to congratulate the Uganda Heart Institute on this milestone,” he added.

The President said the new facility will enhance cardiac care, training, and research not just for Uganda but for the entire region.

The civil works contract was signed on December 9, 2024, between the Government of Uganda by the Uganda Heart Institute (UHI) and Arab Contractors. Construction commenced on January 6. 

The launch of the heart hospital construction comes about five years after the government launched the construction of the International Specialised Hospital of Uganda in Lubowa in 2019. The hospital in Lubowa was also expected to be completed within two years (by June 2021) but the government has postponed the completion deadline several times, with the latest communication indicating April 2025 as the time when the facility will be completed. 

President Museveni said the heart hospital project is essential in handling patients as the country faces the growing burden of heart diseases in the country.

“Despite these efforts, Uganda continues to face a growing burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), particularly cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). Statistics show that CVDs are among the leading causes of death globally, and Uganda is no exception,” he said.

“Changing lifestyles, dietary habits, urbanisation, and genetic predisposition have led to a steady rise in conditions such as hypertension, heart failure, stroke, and coronary artery disease,” he added. According to the President, this growing burden has increased the demand for specialised cardiac care yet UHI has long operated in inadequate facilities within Mulago National Referral Hospital.

“The need for expanded infrastructure and modern equipment has never been greater. It is against this backdrop that the Government, together with our development partners, has prioritized the construction of a dedicated, state-of-the-art home for UHI,” he added.

Dr John Omagino, the UHI director, said this project will also help the country address the economic haemorrhage resulting from medical tourism. He said although most of the specialised (advanced) services will now be offered at the specialised hospital once completed, the existing centre in Mulago Hospital will remain as an annex providing care. 

He said the new hospital will have required experts, facilities and a convenient environment that some people have been travelling to foreign countries to get.

“More than 5,000 people every year go to seek cardiac care abroad. The cost of intervention, air tickets and staying there is $20,000 (Shs73 million) per patient. For the 5,000 patients, that’s more than $75 million we send away each year [through medical tourism] and that is what we want to reverse,” he said.

“All our people should be operated on here. If they are operated on at home [here] at five thousand dollars per patient, that is 25 million dollars. So there is cost saving if this place is put to good use and that money can even help us.

Background
Dr John Omagino, the UHI director, in an interview said the Institute at Mulago hospital performs between 500 and 600 surgeries every year. He said the new one at Naguru-Nakawa could result in 5,000 heart surgeries per year.

Minister of Health Dr Jane Ruth Aceng early last year said Uganda has a high prevalence of cardio vascular risk factors, with one in every four adults in the country (25 percent) having hypertension while 8 percent have diabetes.