The Executive Director of Mulago National Referral Hospital, Dr Rosemary Byanyima, has announced plans to launch liver transplant services by April 2025.
She disclosed this while presenting the hospital’s 2025/26 Budget Framework Paper to Parliament’s Health Committee, urging legislators to allocate sufficient funds for critical medicines and supplies to ensure smooth operations.
“We want to increase our scope of organ transplant. Next year, we aim to bring on board liver transplants,” Dr Byanyima said.
“We have been collaborating with hospitals in India, but now we are engaging a team from Manchester through Health Education England. This team is scheduled to join us in April and May 2025 to perform transplants.”
She further warned that without the full Shs101 billion budget requested for medicines, the hospital would continue asking patients to buy their own drugs, reserving limited supplies for critically ill patients.
“If we are to have no patients walk out to buy any medication, we need Shs101Billion. Currently, we receive Shs18.256Billion. This shortfall forces us to send patients to purchase medicines, and we face backlash from the public,” she explained.
Meanwhile, Dr Evelyn Nabunya, Executive Director of Mulago Specialised Women & Neonatal Hospital, reported significant milestones in fertility treatments, including the introduction of in vitro fertilization (IVF) services.
“We have already conducted 11 stimulations. Two women are currently pregnant following this procedure. Although there were two clinical pregnancies lost, we are optimistic as our team progresses,” Dr Nabunya said.
Dr Nabunya also highlighted neonatal care achievements, revealing that 858 neonates had been handled in the past six months, including 75 weighing under 1kg, with a survival rate of 59.1%.
“Our smallest surviving baby was born at 24 weeks and weighed 500 grams. Today, that child is a healthy 2-and-a-half-year-old. This success underscores the vigilance and expertise of our team,” she added.
The committee is expected to deliberate on the hospital’s budget proposals and determine allocations to support these critical advancements in healthcare.
