Two modern facilities to improve service delivery at Mbarara Hospital under construction

MBRARA CITY, January 22, 2025 – Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital [MRRH] is set to significantly enhance its service delivery with the completion of a new 100-bed facility dedicated to neonatal intensive care unit cases. The construction of the facility is the result of a partnership between the Ministry of Health and the World Bank.

At a site meeting on Friday, Dr. Deus Twesigye, Acting Director and Senior Consultant General Surgeon at MRRH, confirmed that the modern building, currently under construction, will cost approximately Shs 7.12 billion and is expected to be commissioned at the end of May 2025.

Twesigye also reported that a call and dispatch centre, valued at Shs 2.8bln, is concurrently being built at the hospital by Wiljon Construction Company Limited.

“This call and dispatch centre comes at a crucial time,” Twesigye remarked, noting that the hospital recently launched the Emergency Operations Centre to serve the Ankole subregion. “We are also in charge of the emergency ambulance services in this region. Once the dispatch and call centre is operational, equipped with all the necessary resources, it will significantly improve our service delivery.”

The four-storey building housing the neonatal intensive care unit is being funded by a World Bank grant and is expected to reduce perinatal deaths.

“We believe that once it is completed, it will help decongest our existing paediatric ward and attract specialised services, in addition to acting as a referral centre beyond our usual catchment area, which includes the 12 districts of Ankole and Mbarara City,” Twesigye explained.

James Mugume, the Board Chairman of MRRH, expressed concerns over the pace of construction, warning that Wiljon Construction Company Limited’s contract could be terminated if the project is not completed on time.

“There is no room for substandard work. We will not continue to accept delays or complaints about poor quality. If necessary, we will terminate the contract and seek another contractor to complete the project,” Mugume stated.

Daniel Musana, the professional consultant overseeing both construction sites at the referral hospital, also issued a warning, stating that the contractor should not receive payment if he does shoddy work at the call and dispatch centre building.

The Resident City Commissioner for Mbarara City South, Robert Kanusu, welcomed the new developments at the hospital, emphasising that they will improve service delivery and contribute to making Mbarara City a medical hub in Uganda.

He further highlighted that the hospital already operates a certified laboratory, whose test results are recognised by hospitals worldwide. He also announced that Mbarara would soon be home to the first Regional Heart Institute.

“Funding has already been approved for the Uganda Heart Institute to establish the first Regional Heart Institute here in Mbarara. Additionally, the Uganda Cancer Institute has been allocated land to build the first Regional Cancer Institute,” Kanusu revealed.

He urged the government to ensure that local leadership is involved in monitoring and supervising central government projects to guarantee accountability and quality.

Mbarara Hospital’s paediatric department admits 3,000 babies each year, with 35 out of every 100 requiring neonatal care. Currently, the neonatal mortality rate stands at 5 percent annually.

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