Relief as Shs 19bln is provided to give Masindi hospital facelift
MASINDI– Masindi district has received Shs 19 billion as part of the total cost planned for the reconstruction of Masindi hospital most of whose structures are currently in a dilapidated state.
At the beginning of this year, government started the process of reconstructing the hospital, earmarking 50bln for the construction and equipping of the hospital, with the project to be done in phases.
According to Engineer Alex Tumwesigye, the senior civil and sanitary engineer in the Ministry of Health, Shs 32bln will be for civil works to begin early next year, while Shs 18bln will be for buying and installation of the equipment.
“Out of the Shs 50bln, we have got Shs 19 bln. Shs 10bln was provided by the government, while Shs 9bln has been given to us by the World Bank,” Tumwesigye explained to this reporter.
Tumwesigye said Shs 9bln would be spent on two theatres, a pediatric ward, a maternity ward, a neonatal ward, and a maternity ward among others. A contractor to undertake the project is yet to be identified.
Shs10bln is to be used to construct the outpatient department. Construction works are going to be executed by the Uganda People’s Defence Forces [UPDF] Engineering Brigade.
Early July, George Otim the commissioner of health infrastructure in the Ministry of Health held a meeting with Masindi district leaders, informing them that the construction works for the hospital would take three years.
He called upon the district leaders and other stakeholders to ensure that there is no shoddy work.
“Own this project. Report all the anomalies. Always raise an alarm if something is not right because we want to come up with a magnificent hospital,” he noted.
Dr. Vincent Katusiime, the medical superintendent of the hospital noted that they are grappling with insufficient space.
“We were compelled to relocate mothers to the males’ ward because we have no space in the maternity ward,” he said.
Cosmas Byaruhanga, the Masindi district LCV chairperson explained that the situation at the hospital has been appalling.
“The hospital is in a pathetic situation with dilapidated structures. There’s no space in the maternity. We have no theatre. We are happy that now we are seeing engineers coming on the ground,” he said, adding that service delivery will improve when the hospital finally receives the facelift.
History of Masindi hospital
Masindi hospital is one of the oldest hospitals in Uganda. It was constructed in the 1920s as a dispensary for Uganda Railways.
Currently, it’s serving over 500,000 people who come from different districts like Nakasongola, Kiryandongo, Bulisa, Masindi, and parts of Hoima.
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