Soroti hospital director calls for more investment in infrastructure
Dr Watmon noted that since the facility was elevated to a regional referral hospital nearly 30 years ago, very few new buildings have been constructed to meet the growing demand for patient care.
Soroti Regional Referral Hospital. (File photo)
By Deluxe Emmy Alomu
Journalists @New Vision
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The Director of Soroti Regional Referral Hospital, Dr Benedict Watmon, has called on government to prioritize investment in the hospital’s infrastructure.
He noted that since the facility was elevated to a regional referral hospital nearly 30 years ago, very few new buildings have been constructed to meet the growing demand for patient care.
Dr Watmon suggested that government should consider building additional facilities, including a specialized referral and tuberculosis hospital, on the 50 acres of land donated by Soroti University.
This appeal was made during the commissioning of the sh6.3 billion Soroti Regional Blood Bank.
In response, Eng. George Otim, Commissioner for Health Services and Health Infrastructure at the Ministry of Health, said efforts are underway to secure funding for upgrading Soroti Hospital’s current infrastructure while exploring resources for the construction of a new regional hospital.
Soroti Hospital is one of Uganda’s 13 regional referral hospitals. It was first opened in the mid-1920s as a treatment centre for syphilis, upgraded to a district hospital in 1978, and attained referral hospital status in 1996.