Note: ROKO was supposed to hand over the hospital fitted with state of the art equipment, appropriate flooring for the nuclear facility, radioactive machines and theatres.
Legislators on the Parliamentary Health Committee have expressed worry at the stagnated works on Mulago Specialized National Referral Hospital.
The government contracted ROKO Construction Company to with 13.1 billion Shillings to complete the project by the end of 2018, but this hasn’t happened.
ROKO was supposed to hand over the hospital fitted with state of the art equipment, appropriate flooring for the nuclear facility, radioactive machines and theatres.
MPs on the Parliamentary Health Committee visited the facility on Wednesday to establish its readiness in tertiary care, organ transplants among others.
According to Dr Rosemary Byanyima, the Acting Executive Director of the Hospital the hospital still lacks crucial ICT installations, and electrical and plumbing work.
Byanyima, says the facility needs radiology and nuclear medicine units to be working for them to offer proper diagnoses and follow up on recipients for the transplant services.
Officials at the hospital say since ROKO failed to complete the works, they tried using a local contractor to fix the Spect Gamma Camera Room housing the equipment but their work doesn’t meet International standards and cannot be approved for use.
They state that it’s important that units start working as soon as possible for viability assessments on kidney recipients among others.
The Health Committee Chairperson Dr Charles Ayume stated that with the Organ Donation and Transplant Bill in the pipeline to a law, such services need to be fronted.
MPs want ROKO to prioritize health-related projects including the works at Mulago Hospital where over 200 people are on dialysis awaiting kidney transplants a law is approved.
He said the committee had submitted its report and is expected to be on the order paper next week on Tuesday.
Recently, parliament approved a proposal by the government to offer financial support to the construction company to the tune of 202 billion shillings, the part of which is supposed to enable complete pending works.
Dr Frank Asiimwe a Consultant Transplant Surgeon says they will have the capacity to do 12 procedures initially.
