Uganda gets Shs33b loan for regional cancer centre in Gulu

Uganda government Friday signed a financing agreement worth Euro 7.5 million (about Shs33 billion) with Republic of Austria for the establishment of a regional Cancer centre in Gulu.

According to Finance Minister Matia Kasaija, the loan is interest free.

He said government plans to construct and equip other regional cancer centres in Mbarara, Arua and Mbale.

“I wish to thank the Republic of Austria and Unicredit Bank for the support. We shall fulfill our obligations under this financing agreement and also ensure that the loan is properly utilized for the project to improve delivery of health services,” Mr Kasaija tweeted.

Cancer centre in Gulu is intended to provide care for cancer patients in the northern region of Uganda.

The centre will be a cancer treatment, research, and teaching center, affiliated with the Gulu University School of Medicine and with the Gulu Regional Referral Hospital, the teaching hospital for the medical school.

The establishment of the centre was informed by the increased patient burden at Uganda Cancer Institute, in Kampala, the country's capital city, where 4,500 to 6,000 new cancer patients are registered annually.

Recently, the Government set up cancer centres at Mbarara and Arua Regional Referral hospitals as a way of extending services closer to people.
Cancer is one of the three commonest causes of death globally. Currently, 8.8 million deaths annually are attributable to cancer.

As of May 2016, approximately 60,000 new cancer patients are diagnosed annually in Uganda. Of these, an estimated 47,000 (78.3 percent) cancer patients die of their disease within one year, partly due to "late diagnosis and inappropriate treatment."