The Aga Khan to build modern hospital in Uganda
President Yoweri Museveni and the Aga Khan at the groundbreaking ceremony at Nakawa, Kampala on December 17, 2015. PHOTO | STEPHEN WANDERA
What you need to know:
- The Aga Khan on Thursday officiated at the ground breaking for the construction of an ultra-modern Aga Khan University Hospital in Kampala.
- The hospital will offer specialised treatment to Ugandans and patients from neighbouring countries.
- The first phase of construction to cost $100 million (Sh3 trillion) will be completed in 2020 with a 150-bed tertiary wing but the plan is to have an overall 600-bed capacity.
- The hospital will also cover other areas including education, training and research in a bid to offer the best medical treatment possible.
The Aga Khan on Thursday officiated at the ground breaking for the construction of an ultra-modern Aga Khan University Hospital in Kampala, Uganda.
The hospital, he said, will offer specialised treatment to Ugandans and patients from neighbouring countries.
The facility will be part of an integrated healthcare system in the region and will underline the e-health system to enhance relations with the other two Aga Khan hospitals in Nairobi and Karachi, Pakistan — both of which are certified and accredited by the US Joint Commission International as gold standard/first class hospitals.
President Museveni also attended the groundbreaking for the multi-million dollar project at Nakawa before hitting the campaign trail in Eastern Uganda.
The first phase of construction to cost $100 million (Sh3 trillion) will be completed in 2020 with a 150-bed tertiary wing but the plan is to have an overall 600-bed capacity.
OFFER BEST TREATMENT
The Aga Khan said the hospital will also cover other areas, not just health, that include education, training and research to be able to offer the best medical treatment possible.
“It is this research that will enable the Aga Khan University Hospital to bring new knowledge in areas that we desperately need,” he said.
“It is important to keep in mind that disease is changing in its nature. This hospital therefore will deal with non-communicable diseases like diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular diseases and hypertension. These are areas that we must concentrate on to be able to serve the needs of the future,” he added.
Non-communicable diseases (NCDs), according to the World Health Organisation, are non-infectious or non-transmissible but chronic, progress slowly and last for long periods of time. NCDs include hypertension, cardiovascular (heart) diseases, diabetes, chronic respiratory diseases, mental illness, cancer, injuries as well as oral diseases.
Speaking at the groundbreaking at Nakawa, President Museveni scolded officials in government for dragging their feet on offering land to the project which took two years.
PROJECT HAS DELAYED
“I am sorry the project has delayed but it’s good now we are taking off,” he told the Aga Khan.
He applauded the Aga Khan, the Ismaili community and the Asian-Ugandans [at large] for their contribution, which he said they have filled the entrepreneurship gap that was missing.
“Our Asian people really do a lot of work. [and] They have done a lot to the recovery of this economy.”
Mr Museveni also assured the project every possible support to ensure it is realised in time.
