By Charles Katabalwa
7th Sept 2023
The Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development (MoFPED) has signed a loan agreement worth USD 30 million with the Saudi Fund for Development (SFD) to facilitate the construction and equipping of the Uganda Heart Institute (UHI).
The total cost of building the heart centre is estimated at US$73 million.
The Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa and the OPEC Fund are providing loans of US$20 million each, while the government of Uganda will contribute US$3 million to the project.
UHI will feature two fully equipped emergency admittance and care facilities, intensive care and emergency units with catheterization procedure rooms, x-rays, and CT scans, two operating theatres for a wide range of cardiovascular surgical interventions, and five clinical and research laboratories.
It will have 222 beds of which 20 will be in the critical care unit.
The total cost of the civil works has been estimated at US$46 million.
The project scope entails the construction of three blocks: a clinical block; a research and training block; and a staff and maintenance block.
The clinical block will have a total area of about 24,000 square meters with two basements, one ground floor and nine further floors.
Speaking at the signing ceremony at the ministry headquarters in Kampala, the Finance Minister Matia Kasaija said the construction and equipping of the Uganda Heart Institute will greatly improve the accessibility and quality of healthcare services for Ugandans with heart-related conditions.
Kasaija emphasized the significance of the loan agreement and compelled the ministry of health to ensure that any issue that might delay the project is handled expeditiously.
The chief Executive officer Saudi fund for development Sultan A Al-Marshad stated that the project will contribute to enhancing health care services and improving the well-being of Ugandans.
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