Uganda Heart Institute | |
---|---|
Uganda Ministry of Health | |
Geography | |
Location | Mulago, Kampala, Uganda |
Coordinates | 00°20′17″N32°34′31″E / 0.33806°N 32.57528°E |
Organisation | |
Care system | Public |
Type | General and Teaching |
Affiliated university | Makerere University College of Health Sciences |
Services | |
Emergency department | I |
Beds | 250 (Planned) |
History | |
Opened | 1988 |
Links | |
Other links | Hospitals in Uganda Medical education in Uganda |
Uganda Heart Institute (UHI) is a specialized, public, tertiary care medical facility owned by the Uganda Ministry of Health. It is a component of Mulago National Referral Hospital, the largest hospital in Uganda, which serves as the teaching hospital of Makerere University College of Health Sciences. [1]
The Institute is located on Mulago Hill in the northern part of the city of Kampala. It sits within the Mulago Hospital Complex, the teaching hospital of the Makerere University College of Health Sciences. This location is approximately 4.5 kilometres (2.8 mi) north of the central business district of Kampala, the capital and largest city of Uganda. [2] The coordinates of the Institute are 0°20'17.0"N, 32°34'31.0"E (Latitude:0.338056; Longitude:32.575278). [3]
Uganda Heart Institute (UHI) was established as an autonomous body by an Act of Parliament (The Uganda Heart Institute ACT, 2016). The Institute is now a provider of cardiovascular services and the only National Referral Facility for heart diseases in Uganda. Currently, UHI, using a modest investment and an enabling legal framework has trained cardiac specialists and installed a cardiac catheterization laboratory and operating theatre, which have enabled them to conduct heart surgeries and interventions. [4]
Uganda Heart Institute handles over 20,000 patients annually. The Institute started carrying out Open Heart Surgery in 2007 and to-date; over 7000 heart operations have been performed. This in effect means the Uganda Heart Institute can handle over 95 percent of the adult cases and 85 percent of the cases among children in Uganda. This is in line with the National Development Plan II (NDP2) strategy of reducing referrals abroad to less than 5 percent. [4]
In order to improve access to heart care, UHI is developing capacity to operationalize regional centers in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Regional Referral Hospitals. The Institute is partnering with various stakeholders including civil society, to promote health through advocating for a healthy lifestyle. The preventive programs are being addressed through a multi-sectoral approach with the Ministry of Health and other local and international partners. What Uganda Heart Institute needs now is more working space and lager operational budgets to enable it fulfill its mandate. [5]
In 1988, the Uganda Heart Foundation, in collaboration with the Uganda Ministry of Health, Makerere University and Mulago National Referral Hospital, started the Uganda Heart Institute, using space provided on Ward 1C, in the New Mulago Hospital Complex. This resurrected plans to establish a specialized cardiac unit at Mulago, began in 1958, but were killed in 1972, with the expulsion of the Ugandan Asians by dictator Idi Amin. [1] Since 1988, the Institute has received valuable contribution from national and international donors including the Rotary Club. [6] Media reports indicate that of the 1.5 million children born every year in Uganda, about 15,000 have heart defects at birth (congenital heart abnormalities). Of those, about 8,000 children require corrective surgeries. Uganda's only heart institute has the capacity to perform only 1,000 heart operations annually. That leaves a backlog of 7,000 youngsters every year. [7]
Beginning in August 2015, the Government of Uganda had plans to break ground for a new 200 bed hospital to be named Uganda Institute of Cardiothoracic Diseases, to replace the current Uganda Heart Institute. The new hospital will have three operating theatres, cardiac catheterization laboratories, an Intensive Care Unit, and research facilities. The construction will be funded by a US$64.9 million (UGX:169 billion) loan from the Islamic Development Bank. It is anticipated that the Institute will seek financial autonomy to raise funds, hire staff, pay salaries, and procure supplies, independent of Mulago Hospital, similar to the autonomy enjoyed by the Uganda Cancer Institute. [8] [9]
The New Vision newspaper, reported in November 2016, that Uganda Heart Institute had acquired land measuring 2.5 acres (10,000 m2) along Owen Road in the Mulago neighborhood, where it was going to build its new headquarters. The new complex will consist of three towers: (a) the first tower will house the outpatient clinics and hospital beds, including an intensive care unit (b) the second tower will include research laboratories and conference rooms and (c) the third tower will house critical staff, such as research fellows, residents and biomedical engineers. Total cost for the entire project is budgeted at US$65 million, of which US$51 million is for construction and the US$14 million balance is for equipment. [10]
In April 2022, Dr John Omagino, the Executive director of UHI disclosed that the institute had acquired 10 acres (4.0 ha) of land in the Naguru–Nakawa Government Complex. The institute plans to build a 250-bed hospital here, expandable to 1,000 beds over time. The new hospital is expected to save the government of Uganda an estimated US$73 million that is spent on treating high ranking government officials overseas annually. [11]
In July 2022, the UHI disclosed that a consortium comprising the Saudi Fund for Development, the OPEC Fund for International Development and the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa had agreed to lend US$75 million (UGX 285 billion) "for establishing a state-of-the-art heart surgery and treatment centre", at Naguru, in Kampala. This new hospital will be capable of performing 5,000 heart surgeries annually, up from the current 1,000 performed in the limited space at Mulago. [12] IN March 2024, the New Vision newspaper reported that total amount borrowed from the three Middle Eastern lenders totaled Ush223 billion (US$61 million in 2024 money). [13]
The plan calls for a 250- bed hospital in the first phase, expandable to 500 beds in the second phase and to 1,000 beds in the third phase. [5] The construction of the new headquarters and hospital is budgeted at US$73 million. The table below illustrates the sources of finding for the project. [14]
Rank | Development Partner | Funding in US$ million | Percentage | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Saudi Fund for Development (SFD) | 30.0 | 41.09 | Loan |
2 | OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID) | 20.0 | 27.40 | Loan |
3 | Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa (BADEA) | 20.0 | 27.40 | Loan |
4 | Government of Uganda (GoU) | 3.0 | 4.11 | Equity |
Total | 73.0 | 100.00 | ||
The engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract was awarded to Arab Contractors Uganda Limited at a contract price of US$45.4 million. Two Chinese construction companies, who did not win the bid, complained to a government tribunal that adjudicates such disputes in the country. In Q3 2024, the tribunal ruled in favor of Arab Contractors. Construction is expected to begin in Q4 2024. [15]
On Monday 22 January 2018, an all-Ugandan team of 14 healthcare specialists performed the first coronary artery bypass surgery operation by an all Ugandan team, in the history of the heart institute. The successful 10-hour operation was billed at USh18 million (approx. US$5,000), compared to USh300 million (approx. US$83,000), if it were done in a private hospital in South Africa, a common destination for Ugandan patients with means. [16] [17]
In April 2018, a cohort of 11 patients with abnormal heart rhythms, underwent a procedure called catheter ablation using the radiofrequency ablation method. All eleven of the patients benefited and recovered well. This was the first time this type of procedure was performed in Uganda. [18]
As of August 2021 [update] the following constituted the nine-member UHI board of Directors. [4]
Rank | Name | Title | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Dr. James Magara | Chairman | Dental surgeon and management consultant [4] |
2 | Dr. Rosemary Byanyima | Member | Executive Director Mulago National Referral Hospital |
3 | Dr. Charles Akiya Oyoo | Member | Commissioner, Non-Communicable Diseases Uganda Ministry of Health [19] |
4 | Prof. Damalie Nakanjako | Member | Principal and Professor of Medicine at Makerere University College of Health Sciences |
5 | Grace Ndyareeba | Member | Financial consultant. Managing Director and CEO of MicroPay, a Ugandan fintech. [20] |
6 | John Odiri Ogund Omagino | UHI Executive Director | Cardiovascular surgeon |
7 | Rosemary Kiwanuka | Member | |
8 | Irene Lugayizi | Member | |
9 | Peters Kizito Musoke | Member | |
The following cardiologists and cardiothoracic surgeons have served as the director of the Uganda Heart Institute since its foundation in 1988: [1]
Mulago National Specialised Hospital, also known as Mulago National Referral Hospital, is a component of Mulago Hospital Complex, the teaching facility of Makerere University College of Health Sciences. It is the largest public hospital in Uganda.
Emmanuel Amey Ojara, MBChB, MMed Surgery, was a medical doctor, surgeon, and oncologist in East Africa. At the time of his death, he was a senior lecturer at the University of Nairobi, School of Medicine.
Makerere University College of Health Sciences (MakCHS) is a constituent college of Makerere University, Uganda's oldest university. The schools of the college offer undergraduate and postgraduate courses in the biomedical sciences, health sciences, human medicine and public health, covering a broad range of disciplines and specialties.
Butabika National Referral Hospital, commonly known as Butabika Hospital is a hospital in Kampala, Uganda's capital and largest city. It is the mental health national referral hospital for the entire country's estimated population of 36 million in 2014.
Uganda Cancer Institute (UCI) is a public, specialized, tertiary care medical facility owned by the Uganda Ministry of Health. It is designated as East Africa's Centre of Excellence in Oncology. In collaboration with Makerere University College of Health Sciences, UCI plans to start offering master's degrees, doctoral programs and post-doctoral fellowships in oncology care.
Naguru General Hospital, also known as China-Uganda Friendship Hospital Naguru, is a hospital in Uganda. It is an urban, general hospital built between 2009 and 2012, at an estimated cost of approximately US$8 million. The hospital was built by the Government of China, as a gift to the Government of Uganda.
Kawempe General Hospital, also known as Kawempe Specialised National Referral Hospital, is a hospital in Uganda. It is an urban, specialised hospital built between 2014 and 2016 at an estimated cost of US$11.3 million. The hospital was constructed by the government of Uganda, with funding from the African Development Bank and the Nigeria Trust Fund.
Kiruddu General Hospital, also known as Kiruddu General Referral Hospital, is a hospital in Uganda. It is an urban, public, general hospital. It cost an estimated US$10.3 million plus about $350,000 in supervisory fees to build. The hospital was constructed by the government of Uganda, with funding from the African Development Bank (AfDB) and the Nigeria Trust Fund (NTF). The hospital opened to the public on 16 May 2016.
Mulago Women's Referral Hospital, whose official name is Mulago Specialised Women and Neonatal Hospital, is a component of Mulago National Referral Hospital, the largest hospital in Uganda, which serves as the teaching hospital of Makerere University College of Health Sciences. The construction of the women's hospital started in April 2013, with commissioning originally expected in the second half of 2016. After delays, construction was completed in July 2018.
Our Lady of Consolata Kisubi Hospital, also Our Lady of Consolation Kisubi Hospital, commonly referred to as Kisubi Hospital, is a private, non-profit, community hospital in the Central Region of Uganda. The hospital is in the neighborhood of Kisubi in Wakiso District. This is approximately 35 kilometres (22 mi), by road, south-west of Kampala, the capital and largest city of Uganda. The coordinates of Kisubi Hospital are 00°07′20″N32°32′13″E.
Bombo Military Hospital is the largest military hospital in Uganda.The hospital is known for its specialized doctors and equipment. It also serves civilians from the districts of Luweero, Wakiso, Kampala, and Mukono.
Entebbe General Hospital, commonly known as Entebbe Hospital, is a hospital in the town of Entebbe, in the Central Region of Uganda.
John Odiri Ogund Omagino, MBChB, MMed, FCOSECSA, is a thoracic and cardiac surgeon in Uganda. He is the executive director of the Uganda Heart Institute (UHI). He is also a member of the board of directors of UHI.
Peter Lwabi is a consultant pediatric cardiologist at Mulago National Referral Hospital in Kampala, Uganda. He concurrently serves as the deputy executive director of Uganda Heart Institute (UHI). He also serves as the Head of the Pediatric Cardiology Division at Makerere University School of Medicine. He also sits on the board of directors of UHI.
The International Specialized Hospital of Uganda (ISHU) is a public, specialized, referral tertiary care medical facility under construction in Uganda. The hospital is expected to take two years to construct. The private developers who are constructing the hospital will operate it for ten years, then turn it over to the government of Uganda, in a public-private partnership arrangement.
Charles Kabugo is a senior consultant internal medicine physician in the Uganda Ministry of Health. He is the executive director of Kiruddu General Hospital, in Makindye Division, in the south of Kampala, the capital and largest city of Uganda. He was appointed to that position on 9 August 2018.
Nehemiah Katusiime is an Ugandan consultant obstetrician and gynecologist in the Uganda Ministry of Health. He was the executive director of Kawempe General Hospital, in Kawempe Division, in northern Kampala, the capital and largest of Uganda. He was appointed to that position on 9 August 2018 and was succeeded by Dr. Byaruhanga Emmanuel Kayogoza also a senior consultant Gynaecology and Obstetrics as the new Executive Director since his appointment in June 2022.
Emmy Okello, is a Ugandan consultant physician who has specialized as an interventional cardiologist and researcher. He serves as the Head of the Cardiac Catheterization Department at Uganda Heart Institute, the government institution in Kampala that specializes in the treatment of congenital and acquired cardiac disorders.
Roy D. Mugerwa was a Ugandan physician, cardiologist and researcher. His contribution to the world of academics include being a Professor Emeritus at Makerere University College of Health Sciences in Kampala, cardiology in Uganda, researching HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis, and his efforts to find an effective HIV vaccine.