Whereas most of you are acquainted with Uganda Heart Institute for heart surgeries, soon or later your focus will be turned to Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital.
Reliable information reaching our news desk indicates that the 93-year-old Institution has been earmarked to help the offloading of overwhelming numbers of patients awaiting heart surgeries at the Uganda Heart Institute.
Cardiology experts from Uganda’s Heart Institute have been pitching camp at Mbarara Hospital to assess the capacity of the hospital to support heart surgical operations.
These were welcomed by Dr Deus Twesigye, the Hospital’s Senior Consultant General Surgeon and Halson Kagure, the Hospital Public Relations Officer who later ushered them to Dr Celestine Barigye the Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital Director.
According to Dr Deus, the team assessed various units in the hospital to ascertain their status.
Dr Celestine Barigye described the move as significant adding that it will add to the list of existing specialized services. He adds that when they start conducting heart surgeries it will reduce on the burden of patients in need of services at Uganda Heart Institute.
The Mbarara Referral Hospital boss also argues that it’s another way of decentralizing highly specialized services.
UHI medics interface with Dr Deus Twesigye MRRH Snr Consultant Surgeon & Halson Kagure the Mbarara Referral Hospital Public Relations Officer (on the right side)
Currently, according to Halson Kagure the Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital Public Relations Officer, specialists at the hospital have been taking care of some people with Heart complications especially children but they hadn’t reached the level of operation.
Kagure adds that the hospital has been conducting special surgeries including brain surgery one of the complex surgeries.
Dr Barigye told the press that after the fact finding mission of Uganda Heart Institute specialists, they will be briefed on the strength and where the hospital ought to improve prior to commencement of such surgical procedures.
Some of the patients we talked to expressed happiness as they urge the government to empower Mbarara Referral Hospital with necessary resources to deliver services to patients in the region and beyond.
One of the UHI members appears excited as he shook hands with the Mbarara Referral Hospital Director Dr Celestine Barigye during the fact-finding mission
Some of the areas assessed include Intensive Care Unit, Laboratory & Diagnostics, Communication infrastructures, Pediatrics Unit, and Operating Theater among others.
Although Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital’s growth is matching the wide range of specialized services offered, the hospital remains overstretched with limited space for expansion.
It remains to be seen if the government is thinking about revamping it to a national referral hospital as per the presidential pledge while commissioning the hospital-storied building that houses most units about ten years ago.
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