Koboko district set to benefit from multi-billion double storage hospital funded by government of Uganda. The new hospital located in donga village Ginyako parish dranya sub county in koboko district commenced construction in March 2020 and is expected to be completed in five years period time.
The new hospital project has been estimated to cost about Ugandan shilling 61billion upon completion in five years times. According to the proposed double storage hospital plan, the new hospital is set to comprise of Outpatient department (OPD), Maternity ward, theater, attendance laundry, kitchen, placenta pit, accessing road and parking yard, mortuary, staff houses, lagoon, guest houses among others.
The ongoing construction of the OPD block at the new hospital site is being funded by government of Uganda while the maternity ward is being constructed and funded by UNHCR.
During a visit on Tuesday to the new hospital site led by Diana Atwine the permanent secretary in ministry of health, commissioner among others the leaders from ministry pledged more support for the district to see the hospital being completed.
According to Dr Diana Atwine, the permanent secretary, ministry of health first gave the district 700million in last financial year for the start of the hospital project.
“First of all, I want thank the District for prioritizing this work, we sent 700million (seven hundred million) in last financial year and we have seen the work. This year we sent them 500million (five hundred million) and we shall keeping sending more money until the required structures in the plan are done.”
The permanent secretary further says upon completion of the new multibillion hospital project, it will help to improve service delivery and reduce referral cases hence saving patients in terms of cost and also lives.
“This hospital upon completion sill help to improve service delivery not only in the district but also the neighboring communities and neighboring countries of DR Congo and South Sudan. We are here discussing how we can improve the referral system so that we are able to provide the services our mothers need in order to save their lives and that one’s of the babies and this hospital will serve long way to handle this”-the permanent secretary.
The permeant secretary further says government through ministry of health is developing mechanisms to see districts to addressing high rate of referrals and child and maternal mortality
“We involved all the DHOs in west Nile to ensure that they share with us the statistics so that then we see how locally or each individual district can go back and address the issues maternal and child health”
Among some of the facilities that the permanent secretary also visited includes Lasanga Health Centre three in koboko west division as its on-construction process.
Dr Charles the NRM flag bearer for koboko municipality and former employee of state house at health monitoring unit says the district serves big population of people including those from the neighboring countries like South Sudan and DR Congo adding that with the construction of the new hospital it will help in reducing pressure.
“These two health facilities i.e. lasanga and koboko hospital are very important, the unique position of koboko having three international countries borders of Uganda Congo and South Sudan, this hospital will not only help the people in the district but also the neighboring districts of maracha, yumbe and in the spirit of pan Africanism it will help our brothers and sisters from South Sudan and Congo, so this hospital is very important”
Dr Charles however challenged the people in koboko district to embrace education since the hospital will have attached benefit employing workers
“This hospital will have long way benefits of employing different people, so as we wait for the completion, its high time the community member in koboko embrace educations so as to be employed at the facility. Let the youth embrace science subjects” -Charles
Dr Oloya Denis the acting district officer says the new hospital will help to reduce pressure in health sector since the district had been facing challenges in providing other necessary health services due to lack of the facilities.
“The new hospital will help to address the long over due challenges of increased referrals in the district due to lack of other facilities, we have not been doing some of the treatment in koboko just because we lack some of the facilities and personals but with the construction of this new hospital, we be relieved”. -Dr Oloya denis.
According to Wani Nelson the district Engineer, the district received 700,000million in the first phrase (last finical year) and the money was used for laying the foundation up to slab while in this financial year, the district received 500million.
“In last financial year we received 700million which we used for putting the slab and in this current financial year, we have received 500million which we shall use to construction with the construction process”.
The construction of new hospital project is currently being under taken by Whimsy Construction Company Uganda limited and the project is expected to be completed in five years period time for it to be operational. The new hospital according the plans will serve a big population of over 90,000 including people from the neighboring countries of South Sudan and DR Congo.
Story Abel Turinawe
