By Marvin Ocol

Friday morning, dfcu Bank officially handed over a new 150-seater shelter and a refurbished Children’s Play Area to the Uganda Cancer Institute in a bid to provide the outpatients with a secure and decent waiting area and the children with an updated and fun playing area.

This handover follows a pledge made approximately six months ago by the Bank to construct a shelter estimated at Shs 80M at the facility which receives up to 60 patients daily, with many of these camping under trees as they await consultation from the doctors.

Speaking at the handover ceremony, Dr. Victoria Walusansa the Deputy Executive Director of the Uganda Cancer Institute expressed gratitude to dfcu Bank for their remarkable humanitarian efforts and prioritizing the health of Ugandans.

“The fact that Cancer continues to be an issue across Uganda is evidenced by the high patient load here at Uganda Cancer Institute. We are eternally grateful to dfcu Bank for mobilising funds for a great cause and partnering with us to improve the experience of patients and their caretakers as they go through these trying moments in their lives,” Dr. Victoria Walusansa said

Speaking at the ceremony, dfcu Bank’s Chief Executive Officer Mathias Katamba said: “Leaving a lasting impact on individuals and communities is a key part of the Corporate Social Investment initiatives that dfcu Bank is involved in across Uganda. We are therefore delighted to handover this new shelter that will give hundreds of patients and caretakers a chance to sit and rest after long days of treatment and travel.”

According to Margaret Muhanga, the State Minister in Charge Primary Health Care, the effects of cancer tend to take a heavy toll on patients and their families, financially, emotionally, physically and even spiritually.

Therefore, she said, “any and all efforts to support them through their treatment are always appreciated.”