Mbale kids’ hospital celebrates five years

Jun 20, 2006

CURE Children’s Hospital of Uganda (CURE CHU) tomorrow celebrates five years of providing hope and healing to children in Africa.

By Vision Reporter
CURE Children’s Hospital of Uganda (CURE CHU) tomorrow celebrates five years of providing hope and healing to children in Africa.
The hospital will be hosting a celebration dinner at the Kampala Sheraton with the US ambassador as the guest of honour. According to Sam Baguma, the regional director, Africa, CURE International, the dinner will highlight the accomplishments of the past five years and present opportunities for individuals, corporations and diplomatic missions to partner in providing hope and healing to children with disabilities and their families.
CURE CHU is a non-profit hospital, established in 2001 at Mbale by CURE International, an NGO that builds and operates hospitals for children in developing countries.
It provides comprehensive paediatric neurosurgical care to children regardless of their race, religion or socio-economic status. According to Charles Howard, the executive director, Mbale is the only hospital in Africa devoted to the neurosurgical care of children in eastern, central and southern Africa.
The hospital, located on Bugwere Road, has a 42-bed in-patient facility, full diagnostic centre with CT-scanner and operating theatres and Intensive Care Unit.
“We offer neurosurgical services for children such as for spinal cord, hydrocephalus (including endoscopic) surgery, spina bifida, tumours of the brain, skull and spine as well as select cases of epilepsy surgery,” said Olivia Ekayu, the procurement officer, Kampala office.
“We also do congenital anomalies of the brain, skull or spine, spasticity and all other general paediatric neurosurgical cases,” she added.
She added that patients may go directly to the hospital for consultation and admission.
“The first consultation is free. Surgeries and related treatment are subsidised with patient participation. The hospital also has monthly regional referral and follow-up clinics and offers families the comfort and support needed in learning to deal with the conditions of their children.
To ensure the long-term sustainability of the hospital and its services, the organisation is seeking to diversify its funding base to include more local support. This includes opportunities to sponsor patients, beds, and other gifts and services.
Ends

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