Mulago National Referral Hospital achieved significant medical milestones in 2025, expanding specialized care and advancing surgical capabilities, even as chronic funding shortages continued to limit service delivery, hospital management has revealed.
Addressing the press, Executive Director Dr Rosemary Byanyima highlighted progress in advanced, minimally invasive procedures, pediatric cancer care, and preparations for introducing organ transplants in the public health system.
A key achievement was the expansion of specialized surgery. Mulago now routinely performs hip and knee replacements, spine surgery, and other orthopedic procedures.
Neurosurgeons have adopted a neuro-operating microscope that allows precise operations on delicate brain structures.
“This is a major milestone for neurosurgery, Ear Nose and Throat, and plastic surgery because it allows microsurgery on very small structures,” Dr Byanyima said.
The hospital also renovated and fully equipped Ward 5C, the paediatric oncology unit, in partnership with Global Hope.
The ward now features infusion and feeding pumps, patient monitors, and a specialised pharmacy to safely handle cancer medicines for children with blood cancers.
However, not all services ran smoothly. The nuclear medicine unit was temporarily shut down after the global supplier of radionuclides closed, disrupting cancer diagnostic services.
The unit is now fully operational following procurement of a new supplier.
Funding gaps remain the hospital’s biggest challenge. While most surgical services are offered free of charge, patients requiring implants for joint replacements often need to purchase them due to budget constraints.
Mulago currently receives Shs8.6 billion annually for essential medicines and sundries, far below the estimated Shs 35 billion required.
Allocation for patient medicines stands at Shs23 billion, against a projected need of Shs101 billion.
These shortages affect service delivery, particularly in emergency and surgical care. Mulago’s Accident and Emergency unit normally receives about 40 patients daily, rising to 100 during mass casualty incidents, often involving unidentified trauma patients with no family support.
Looking ahead, Mulago is preparing to introduce liver transplant services, with the first procedures expected before the end of the financial year.
A multidisciplinary team will undergo advanced training in India early next year.
Plans are also underway to establish bone marrow transplant services, particularly for children with blood disorders.
Scaling up transplant services will require increased funding for medicines, specialised staff, and isolation facilities, as current staffing levels stand at just 57 percent.
As the festive season approaches, Mulago will remain open 24 hours a day, with emergency teams, theatres, and medicine supplies on standby.
Dr Byanyima urged Ugandans to drive safely and drink responsibly to reduce preventable accidents.
“Prevention is better than cure,” she said, stressing the importance of functional peripheral health facilities to avoid unnecessary referrals that overwhelm the national referral hospital.
Despite persistent funding and staffing constraints, Mulago described 2025 as a year of progress achieved under pressure, reaffirming its commitment to providing specialised care to Ugandans.