Lubowa Hospital
Construction of Lubowa Hospital has stalled for now four years
The Deputy Speaker Anita Among has asked Government to update Parliament on the construction of the controversial USD379.71m (Shs1.393Trn) specialized international hospital in Lubowa.
“What happened to Lubowa, what is happening, the house is demanding to know what is happening. Can we have information on what is happening to Lubowa?” Among remarked.
The directive came after Henry Musasizi, Minister of State for Finance and General Duties took to the floor of Parliament to table a loan to a tune of US$70Million equivalent to Shs248.256Bn for the construction and equipping of Uganda Heart Institute.
In the latest loan request, Government wants to borrow up to US$ 20Million from the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa (BADEA), US$30 Million from the Saudi Fund for Development (SFD); and US$20 Million from the OPEC Fund for International Development.
Solomon Silwanyi (Bukholi Central) wondered why there’s no update on the progress of the project of Lubowa hospital yet Parliament in 2019 approved government’s request to issue promissory notes worth Shs1.4Trn to finance the construction of the 264-bed international Specialized hospital in Lubowa, Wakiso.
“As we speak today, Lubowa specialized hospital that was supposed to save us medical tourism is nowhere, this is almost the fourth year. Whereas we have the heart to support the Uganda Heart institute, because it touches everyone, wouldn’t it be procedurally right for the Ministry of Finance to first give us accountability on the other previous loans that we passed in this Parliament,” Silwany said.
He was backed by Muwanga Kivumbi (Butambala County) who argued that although the Opposition raised concerns about the mystery surrounding the Lubowa project and demanded for a set of documents, all these were ignored and it isn’t surprising that progress of the project has remained controversial.
“We raised the same issues on Lubowa, we said we don’t see the feasibility study, we don’t see the implementation plan, we don’t see the competence of the person who was borrowing the money, we were dealing with somebody who was dealing in furniture, now the information I have, she is now dealing in coffee. This is a person we gave money to implement a project of US$375M,” said Muwanga.
It wasn’t long before Theodore Ssekikubo (Lwemiyga County) questioned the competence of Enrica Pinetti, the ‘investor’ behind Lubowa Specialized hospital project, saying she has now spread her wings into road construction, health care and latest agriculture yet no tangible results have been seen on all her projects.
He argued, “I witnessed the indignity suffered by Parliament after approving the Shs1.3Trn to Lubowa, our own Defence Committee went there accompanied by Permanent Secretary Ministry of Health, Diana Atwine and we were locked out and we were never allowed to enter to inspect what was going on. The person who was peddling the health facility at lubowa is now transacting in coffee business. She is everywhere and nowhere, and that is the predicament this country is having. Yes we can patch up the loan request, but I am telling you, it is a bottomless pit, it is high time we put a stop to this.”
The development comes at the time Ministry of Finance gifted the proprietor of Lubowa International Hospital with more land in Namanve Industrial Park to establish a coffee processing plant.
After signing her latest venture, Minister of Finance, Matia Kasaija, said that the coffee plant is expected to process 60,000 tonnes of coffee per annum at full capacity, but will start with processing 27,000 tonnes and that the company is expected to create 246 jobs for employees and skilled labourers.
It should be recalled that in March 2019, approved request by the Ministry of Finance to guarantee a loan for the construction of a specialised hospital in Lubowa through the issuance of a promissory notes to a tune of USD379.71m approximately Shs1.393Trn.
In its glossy proposal, Government said the facility would be constructed on 32hectares in Lubowa in Wakiso district and would be divided in four zones including; clinical, education, recreation and housing zones.
The hospital was meant to carry 54 Oncology beds, 27 infectious disease beds, 27 medical beds, 16VIP beds, eight ICU beds, as well as 60 outpatient beds, 54 surgery beds, 27 paediatrics beds, 27OBGYN beds, 16 intensive Care, 8 neo-natal ICU beds and 11 operating theatres.
Enrica Pinetti is the proprietor of the hospital and had promised to construct the hospital in two years, and later run the hospital for six years before the hospital reverts back to Government. However three years down the road, the project is yet to take off, with Government keeping silent on the progress.
For sure we need a report from Lubowa International Specialized Hospital of Uganda.