Entebbe hospital to be upgraded to regional referral facility
Mar 03, 2016
We spend too much on water yet our budget only caters for sh2m, so right now we are in debts of up to sh200m - medical superintendent
The ministry of health is to upgrade Entebbe general hospital into a regional referral hospital, the state minister for General duties Dr Chris Baryomunsi, has disclosed.
Baryomunsi said this is aimed at improving health service delivery at the hospital.
He added that, the number of experts and the nurses will also be increased at the facility. Currently the hospital has 155 health workers with only three specialists .
The facility had a capacity of 100 beds but after the reconstruction the number is expected to double.
The facility is one of the nine hospitals that were reconstructed using a sh445bn loan from the World Bank, through Uganda health systems strengthening project.
Meanwhile Uganda Breweries Limited (UBL) has commissioned a 100,000 litre underground water tank at the facility, under its social corporate theme Water of life.
The two-phase initiative under UBL has two tanks each with capacity of 200,000 litres.
Speaking during the commissioning of the water tanks, the hospital's medical superintendent, Moses Muwanga, said the facility spends over sh6m on water every month.
"We spend too much on water yet our budget only caters for sh2m, so right now we are in debts of up to sh200m," he said.
A lot of water is required during operations, sterilization and to keep the environment clean.
The hospital treats patients from Wakiso, Kalangala, Mpigi and Mukono.
Baryomunsi however stated that the ministry would look into issues of electricity and water bills since they are a known issue for hospitals. He commended UBL for its intervention to supply water to the hospital.
Peter Vogtlander, the group supply chain director for East Africa Breweries Limited (EABL), stated that the company has supplied water throughout East Africa to 3 million people, 2 million of whom are Ugandans.
Charity Kiyemba, UBL's corporate affairs Director, stated that the tank project was part of the company's community initiative to save people lives' in the community.
"This year we are celebrating life and we are happy to do this through providing water for up to 2 million people in Uganda" she said.
She further stated that UBL aimed at tackling the issue of preventing sickness and treating illness.
Muwanga said that the number of patients suffering from waterborne diseases is overwhelming, adding that 10 % of the patients they treat are diagnosed with this condition.