Absa Uganda donates shs30 million towards Kilembe Mines Hospital reconstruction

Absa Bank Uganda has made a donation worth shs30 million towards the purchase of essential medical equipment and supplies for Kilembe Mines Hospital.

Kilembe hospital, a private not for profit health facility was washed away by the flash floods that hit Kasese last month.

Speaking at the handover of the money, Annette Kiconco, the acting retail director at Absa said they had been moved by the need to help the over 120,000 people displaced by the disaster that hit Kasese.

“We are saddened by the destruction this disaster has caused to the people of Kasese District. We therefore, stand in solidarity with the hospital administration and community to jumpstart the rehabilitation process with this provision of much-needed relief to the Kilembe Mines Hospital,”Kiconco said.

The donation covers essential hospital equipment and medical supplies including stretchers, wheelchairs, biomedical fridge, oxygen concentrator, patient monitors, beds and mattresses.

“This is the third time that the hospital is facing a disaster of a similar scale and we appreciate the support we have received from Absa Bank Uganda, as we need all hands on deck to begin rebuilding,” said John Makombo, the leader of the Kampala-Kasese Catholic Community and Director in charge of Conservation at Uganda Wildlife Authority.

Kilembe Mines Hospital has a 200-bed capacity and is located in Namuhunga village in Kasese District.

At the time of the flooding, 87 patients were evacuated to nearby health facilities as the hospital’s medical stores and mortuary were completely washed away.

Additionally, several wards and other physical infrastructure were seriously damaged while critical equipment like oxygen concentrators, patient monitors, sanction machines, computers, blood pressure machines, autoclaves, incubators and laboratory equipment were all destroyed.

“With the threat of water-borne diseases looming, the community needs critical support for its health infrastructure to be able to handle these and other medical emergencies that may arise,” the Absa director in charge of retail noted.