President Yoweri Museveni has directed Ministry of Finance and Health to work with the British firm Globespan Infrastructure and Ugandan contractor SMS Construction to fast-track the upgrade of Entebbe Regional Referral Hospital.
The budget for the mega-upgrade, renovation, and expansion of the Entebbe Regional Referral Hospital is $120 million (approximately Shs444 billion)
The funding will focus on expanding patient capacity, consolidating older facilities into a single modern hub, re-tooling medical technology, and introducing advanced, specialized care units.
Globespan is the lead developer of the Fumba stadium in Zanzibar, a 36,500-seat venue being built for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations, at a reported cost of about $150 million.
The stadium was designed by Manchester-based AFL Architects and is being built by the Turkish firm Orkun Group; AFL Architects worked on the 80,000-seat Lusail Stadium, which hosted the final and opening matches of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
SMS Construction Ltd is a prominent Ugandan building and civil engineering company founded in 2011, specializing in general construction, infrastructure development, and specialized manufacturing. Headquartered at SMS House on Plot 6C, 7th Street in the Industrial Area, Kampala, it is led by executive directors Sadat Muhinda and Ashaba Ainea
SMS Construction, a local firm operating under the government’s Buy Uganda Build Uganda policy, concentrates on building works and has delivered several health and public-sector projects.
These include the multipurpose building at the Uganda Cancer Institute, housing cancer treatment, research laboratory and training facilities; the Marriott hotel and executive apartments in Nsambya; and the Inspectorate of Government headquarters, which it took over from a struggling Roko Construction.
President Museveni wants the hospital renovated and expanded to increase patient capacity, provide modern specialised care and consolidate its older facilities into a single regional referral centre.
The facility attained regional referral status on 1 July 2019, but its 200-bed capacity and condition have drawn scrutiny: Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee summoned the health and finance ministers over a December 2024 Auditor General’s report that flagged a dire lack of medical storage, chronic understaffing and poor service delivery.
Entebbe Regional Referral Hospital faces severe congestion, severe drug shortages, and outdated infrastructure, but presents key opportunities for regional health expansion, specialized pediatric partnerships, and digital records integration
The 200-bed facility handles nearly 570 monthly deliveries, forcing mothers to sleep on ward floors.
The facility faces drug and supply shortages hence Chronic deficits resulting diabetic and regular patients lacking basic insulin or full medicine allocations.
