Mulago National Referral Hospital has requested an additional UGX8.6 billion from Parliament to expand its organ transplant services, including introducing liver transplants starting in April 2025.
The hospital’s Executive Director, Dr. Rosemary Byanyima, presented the hospital’s 2025/26 Budget Framework Paper to Parliament’s Health Committee, emphasizing the need for full funding to support critical medicines and supplies essential for transplant operations.
“We want to expand our organ transplant services by introducing liver transplants next year. We’ve collaborated with hospitals in India and are now partnering with Health Education England, with a team from Manchester Hospital scheduled to perform transplants with us in April and May 2025,” Byanyima explained.
She detailed the financial requirements, which include UGX3.6 billion for medicines and screening equipment, UGX2.8 billion for staffing, and UGX2.2 billion for capacity building.
The hospital has set a target to perform 12 kidney transplants, five liver transplants, and 10 corneal operations in the upcoming financial year.
Lawmakers Bernard Sekyanzi (Budyebo County) and George Bokha (Obongi County) expressed their support for the funding request. Sekyanzi highlighted the growing demand for organ transplants in Uganda, while Bokha stressed the urgency of operationalizing the Organ Donation and Transplant Council to ensure proper regulation.
Dr. Byanyima also shared recent milestones, including the successful completion of five kidney transplants at Mulago, all of which had donors fully recovered and one recipient already back at work. The knowledge transfer from the Yashoda team in India has enhanced the skills of Mulago’s surgeons, nurses, and anesthesiologists.
The hospital made history in December 2023 by performing Uganda’s first successful kidney transplant, following the enactment of the Uganda Human Organ Donation and Transplant Act, 2021. This law provides a robust legal framework for organ donation and transplantation, safeguarding donors’ dignity and rights.
Dr. Byanyima highlighted the financial strain faced by Ugandans seeking transplants abroad, with costs reaching UGX94 million per procedure, excluding travel and accommodation. In contrast, similar procedures in India or Turkey cost about US$18,000 (UGX65.9 million).
During her January 15, 2025 presentation, Dr. Byanyima warned that inadequate funding would force the hospital to continue asking patients to buy medications independently, reserving hospital resources for critically ill patients.
“If we receive the full UGX101 billion, no patient would be sent to buy their medication. Currently, we are allocated UGX18.3 billion, forcing us to send patients to pharmacies while reserving drugs for the critically ill,” she stated.
She also emphasized the need for UGX2 billion to train specialists in areas like organ transplants, nuclear medicine, ICU care, and biomedical engineering. Most of this training occurs abroad and is costly.
Additional funding was requested to address other challenges, including patient nutrition, particularly for those in the ICU and diabetic patients. Water supply remains a critical issue, with the UGX3 billion allocation covering only a third of the hospital’s needs.
Dr. Byanyima raised concerns about the growing number of pulmonary patients reliant on oxygen concentrators, with 11 patients unable to leave the hospital. She proposed exploring sustainable oxygen generation methods, including concentrators with alternative energy sources to mitigate risks during power outages.
This story was first published by Parliament Watch. Click here for the original story.