Kisoro, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The construction of a 4.12 billion Shillings isolation unit at Kisoro Hospital has kicked off.
Construction of the facility is being funded by the World Bank under the Uganda Covid-19 Response and Emergency Preparedness Project (UCREPP). The unit will be constructed by Geses Uganda Limited and will be completed within a period of 12 months.
George Otim, Commissioner in charge of Health Infrastructure in the Ministry of Health says that 39 hospitals including nine regional referral hospitals had applied to benefit from the project, but only two were selected (Kisoro and Isingiro district) due to limited funds.
Otim says that Kisoro hospital was selected because it frequently hosts patients from neighboring countries of Rwanda and Democratic Republic of Congo.
Dr. Emmanuel Bahane, Kisoro Hospital Superintendent says that the project will be a relief to the hospital because they have been referring patients to Kabale regional referral hospital, about 75 kilometres away.
Bahane says that on normal days, the hospital registers about 10 cases that require isolation. He adds that in the period of influx especially from DR Congo, 100 cases are registered on a monthly basis.
Abel Bizimana, Kisoro District LCV Chairperson and Sarah Mateke Nyirabashitsi, the Kisoro District Woman MP and State Minister for Security say that the construction of an isolation unit comes at a time when the government has also started renovating the theatre at 800 million Shillings.
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