Uganda to Construct Specialized Hospital

The Uganda government with international investors is going to construct an international specialized hospital, President Yoweri Museveni has revealed.

The President explained that he was in Italy as a visitor to the Vatican where he had been hosted by Pope Francis.

He said that Uganda values the relationship between Italy and the Vatican. Museveni was speaking at a dinner hosted in his honour by Italian investors in Rome.

He disclosed that the project will be jointly financed by government and Finasi, an Italian investment company headed by Ms. Enrica Panetti. Ms Panetti and her team showed the President progress on the project.

President Museveni told the audience that Ugandans have been spending colossal sums of money to seek specialized treatment from other countries like India.

“This hospital will help us to treat specialized cases at home instead of donating money to other countries,” he said. The hospital which will be established at Lubowa on Entebbe road, will have specialized units, modern equipment and experienced doctors.

The hospital, according to the President will treat cases such as cancer, brain trauma, kidney, and other specialized diseases that cannot be treated in Uganda currently.

According to the model artwork, it will be a complex with several units, theaters, doctor’s accommodation and training facilities. The President was informed that the current hospitals in the country are outdated in a way that incoming and outpatients use the same corridors that can spread diseases. This, the doctors pointed out, was a serious health hazard which should be avoided in modern hospitals.

Museveni thanked Ms Pinnetti and other Italian investors who have identified Uganda’s investment potential. He said that the first fish factory at Masese was financed by Italian funds opening the way for other fish projects. He said that with the completion of this project, other investors have put up over 20 fish factories.

On behalf of the investors, Ms Penetti assured the President that the project will be completed in time. She also assured the President that a delegation of investors and financial institutions will visit Uganda very soon to explore more projects to invest in. She praised Uganda’s ambassador to Italy, Grace Akello, for consolidating the relationship between the two countries.

“I consider myself a ‘Nalongo’ (in Ugandan language means mother of twins) because I consider Uganda and Italy as my two homes,” she said.

The President appealed to the investors to take advantage of Uganda’s potential.

“Uganda is the most beautiful country on earth, we have permanent snow on the equator, we have minerals that have not been exploited and oil and gas,” he said.

He enumerated a number of government incentives to investors including repatriation of their profits freely.