Hoima Regional Referral Hospital ICU construction completed
The facility spans three floors, with specialized units including the ICU, HDU, and isolation rooms designed to cater to the needs of critically ill patients.
Hoima: The construction of the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at Hoima Regional Referral Hospital, valued at 8.4 billion Ugandan Shillings, has been successfully completed.
The facility is now awaiting the installation of essential equipment and supplies before it can be officially opened for use.
On Friday, a team from the Ministry of Health, alongside journalists from various media houses, conducted an inspection of the new ICU. The team was led by Miss Doreen Nshabohurira, Communications Officer for the Uganda COVID-19 Response and Emergency Preparedness Project (UCREPP).
Nshabohurira expressed optimism about the impact of the ICU once it is fully equipped, particularly for improving health service delivery in the Bunyoro sub-region.
She revealed that the UCREPP project, which began in 2020 with funding from the World Bank, had originally been slated for completion by 2024. However, with a six-month extension, the Ministry is hopeful that the facility will be fully operational by June 2025.
Dr. Ibrahim Bwaga, Acting Director of Hoima Regional Referral Hospital, highlighted the challenges faced by patients in the region who have had to travel long distances sometimes over 100 kilometers to access ICU services.
According to Dr. Bwaga, the hospital’s medical staff are well-trained but had been constrained by a lack of equipment. He emphasized that once the ICU becomes operational, the need for patient referrals to Kampala will significantly decrease, as they currently receive 20-30 patients needing ICU care every week.
The new ICU facility will have a capacity of 20 beds, though not all patients will require ICU care. Dr. Bwaga also explained that the ICU is divided into different sections, including a High Dependency Unit (HDU) and isolation rooms, each with an 8-bed capacity.
Badru Mugabi, the Hoima Resident City Commissioner, reaffirmed the commitment to enhancing healthcare services at the hospital.
He also stressed the importance of implementing the presidential directive mandating that government hospital personnel not work in private healthcare facilities simultaneously.
Karim Abdul, the project engineer from Excel Constructions, confirmed that the construction of the ICU took 15 months to complete and is now ready to be handed over to the government.
The facility spans three floors, with specialized units including the ICU, HDU, and isolation rooms designed to cater to the needs of critically ill patients.
The Ministry of Health, local leaders, and hospital administrators are all looking forward to the day when the ICU is fully equipped and operational, bringing much-needed advanced healthcare services to the Bunyoro sub-region.
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