KAMPALA
By: Derrick Senyonga
Uganda’s Prime Minister, Rt. Hon. Robinah Nabbanja has tasked the different stakeholders working on the long-awaited Uganda Heart Institute’s infrastructure development project to ensure that it is completed within the agreed timeline.

Rt. Hon Robinah Nabbanja unveils a plaque at the ground breaking ceremony
Speaking on behalf of President Museveni at the ground breaking ceremony for the construction of a 250-bed cardiac hospital by the Uganda Heart Institute in Naguru, Nabbanja said the initiative that will transform cardiac care in Uganda should be treated with utmost priority and completed by 2027.
“Delays, I repeat, should not be entertained at any level. The people of Uganda deserve a fully operational, world-class Heart Institute within the agreed timeframe of two years. That means 2027, this facility must be ready,” she stressed.
She said that the increased demand for specialized cardiac care was due to the growing burden of cardiovascular diseases which statistically are the leading cause of death globally.
“Changing lifestyles, dietary habits, organization, genetic predisposition have led to a steady rise in conditions such as hypertension, heart failure, stroke, coronary artery diseases. This growing burden has increased demand for specialized cardiac care, yet Uganda Heart Institute has long operated in inadequate facilities within the National Heart Institute,” she added.
Echoing what the Premier had said, the Minister of Health, Hon. Ruth Aceng asked for close monitoring of the hospital to ensure that it meets international standards and serves as a Centre of Excellence for Uganda, the region and beyond. She clarified that the ground breaking didn’t mean that the existing Heart Institute was lacking in any way except for lack of space.

The Rt. Hon. PM (with helmet) planting a tree as a commemoration for the Ground breaking ceremony
“With today’s groundbreaking, we begin a new journey of constructing a world-class cardiovascular facility. This is not to say where we have been, it’s not world-class. You have heard from various people it’s very small. But it has all the ultra-modern equipment but very small. So we need bigger space and that is the journey we are beginning on. I urge all stakeholders, especially the contractors and the project managers, let me give you a little bit of caution. Earlier on, you heard me say we have a number of projects running. The eyes of the people are on us. They will be comparing you with the other projects and the speed that you are undertaking,” Aceng said adding that: “You have done several projects with us. Please give us quality, timely results.”
The Uganda Heart Institute is part of government efforts to reduce referrals abroad and send Uganda foreign exchange but also improve specialized training and research in cardiovascular medicine, enhance early diagnosis, prevention and timely intervention for cardiovascular diseases and position Uganda as a regional center of excellence for cardiovascular care.
The construction and equipping of the Uganda Heart Institute Hospital project is on 10acres of land. The hospital complex will consist of 3 blocks including a clinical block and administration block. In addition, the complex will house 3 operating theatres, 2 catherization labs and 40 state of the art Cardiac Intensive Care Units.
The project aims at providing affordable and accessible cardiovascular treatment and care for all the people in Uganda, improve on specialized teaching, training and research, enhance early prevention and awareness of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), reduce referrals abroad and promote medical tourism in Uganda among others.
The project is funded by Government of Uganda together with loan agreements totalling to USD 70m from OPEC (Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries) Fund, BADEA (The Arab Bank of Economic Development in Africa) and SFD (Saudi Fund for Development).
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