Lubaga Hospital, situated in Uganda, has inaugurated the country’s first Organ Transplant Centre.
KAMPALA, UGANDA | NOW THEN DIGITAL — Lubaga Hospital in Uganda has inaugurated the nation’s first Organ Transplant Centre. The hospital, in a statement on Twitter, noted that organ transplants have the power to transform lives and reshape the future.
LUBAGA HOSPITAL TRANSPLANT CENTRE
Organ transplants transform lives and reshape the future.
For more information-
📞0707234444
WhatsApp: 0707234317
📧 customercare@lubagahospital.org https://t.co/Zc89gLrFop pic.twitter.com/d0q3NlSrVa— Lubaga Hospital (@LubagaHospital) August 15, 2023
Last September, the hospital management pledged to enhance the facility with a state-of-the-art specialized center dedicated to organ transplantation. This commitment was fulfilled with the establishment of the state-of-the-art Specialist Centre at Lubaga Hospital.
This center will provide modern transplant services, along with over 25 specialized and super-specialized medical services, an affluent in-patient wing, and private outpatient services, as tweeted by the hospital.
BREAKING NEWS!
The state-of-the-art Specialist Centre at Lubaga Hospital will offer modern transplant services, over 25 specialized and super-specialized medical services, affluent in-patient-wing and private outpatient services.https://t.co/Zc89gLa3ZP pic.twitter.com/ObfNfyhNDh
— Lubaga Hospital (@LubagaHospital) September 30, 2022
“The state-of-the-art Specialist Centre at Lubaga Hospital will offer modern transplant services, over 25 specialized and super-specialized medical services, affluent in-patient-wing and private outpatient services,”.
On Monday, the Archbishop of Kampala Diocese, Paul Ssemwogerere, and Uganda Martyrs University Vice Chancellor, Prof. Patrick Kyamanywa, attended the commissioning of the hospital’s transplant theatre. This theatre was named after the late Dr Rita Moser, who served as the first medical superintendent of Lubaga Hospital.
Prof. Kyamanywa, now the chairman of Lubaga Hospital’s board of directors, also participated in the launch of the Dr. Rita Moser transplant centre at the hospital.
Lubaga Hospital stands as the first private facility in Uganda equipped to perform organ transplants. The hope is that this development will alleviate the financial burden on many Ugandans seeking these procedures abroad, as reported by UBC TV.
Following the enactment of the Uganda Human Organ Donation and Transplant Act in 2022, the Ministry of Health stated that several hospitals have expressed interest in becoming designated organ transplant centers.
Dr. Moses Muwanga, the assistant commissioner for clinical services at the Ministry of Health, shared that both public and private hospitals are indicating interest in providing organ transplantation services.
“We are going to have the public and private hospitals doing it [organ transplantation]. Mulago Hospital is almost ready. But there are some private hospitals, which have also shown interest. For kidney transplant, Rubaga Hospital has applied, but we have not assessed [their capacity],” he said.
As per the Act, which President Museveni signed into law on March 15, the assessment of each center’s capacity should be carried out by the Uganda Organ Donation and Transplant Council. This council then recommends centers for designation to the Health Minister for conducting organ transplants.
According to the new law, for a facility to be designated as a transplant center, it must house an Intensive Care Unit dedicated to transplant procedures, specialized medical professionals such as transplant surgeons, anaesthesiologists, and transplant nurses, as well as suitable theaters for both donors and recipients, among other requirements.
Dr. Julius Luyimbaazi, the Executive Director of Lubaga Hospital, stressed the hospital’s readiness for this significant endeavor.
With a history spanning over 123 years and a 240-bed capacity referral unit providing a comprehensive array of specialized services, Lubaga Hospital is well-prepared for this task. Their vision is to become a state-of-the-art healthcare facility in Africa.
The story of Lubaga Hospital began on 18th October 1899 when six missionary sisters of Our Lady of Africa arrived at Lubaga Hill and received a plot of land from Kabaka Daudi Chwa. Starting as an open-air dispensary, the facility grew into a twenty-bed hospital by 1900.
Through times of war, epidemics, natural disasters, and now the COVID-19 pandemic, Lubaga Hospital takes pride in caring for Ugandans’ healthcare needs for over 122 years, as expressed by Luyimbaazi.
“Being the second-oldest Hospital in the country, we take pride in having taken care of the health care needs of Ugandans for the last 122 years, through times of war, epidemics, natural disasters and now the COVID-19 pandemic,” Dr. Luyimbaazi said.
Editor’s Note: Please contact press@nowthendigital.com if you find any of the content to be inaccurate or outdated.
You’re reading nowthendigital.com — which breaks the news about Uganda, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa and the rest of the world, day after day. Be sure to check out our homepage for all the latest news, and follow NOW THEN DIGITAL on YouTube, Google, Web Stories, Google News, Medium, LinkedIn, Twitter, Reddit, Pinterest, Linktr, Buy Me a Coffee, Truth Social, and Flipboard to stay in the loop.
