Mbarara Regional Oncology Centre Set to Ease Pressure on Mulago

Efforts to decentralize cancer care in Uganda have taken a significant step forward as the government moves to secure funding for a new regional facility. The Minister of State for Primary Health Care, Hon. Charles Ayume, recently defended a proposal to borrow Shs139 billion from the French Government to construct and equip the Uganda Cancer Institute Mbarara Regional Oncology Centre.

Appearing before Parliament’s Committee on Health, Ayume emphasized the immense financial and physical burden placed on patients traveling from remote districts like Kisoro or Kaabong to Kampala for treatment. By establishing regional centers, the Ministry of Health hopes to improve early detection, expand screening, and curb avoidable deaths caused by late-stage diagnoses.

The Mbarara facility will initially provide essential treatments such as cancer screening, chemotherapy, and surgery. Uganda Cancer Institute Executive Director Dr. Jackson Orem noted that radiotherapy will be introduced at a later stage due to funding limitations, with complex cases temporarily referred to Mulago. Additionally, the project aims to boost medical tourism by serving patients from the wider East African Community.

Local stakeholders have rallied behind the initiative. Mbarara University of Science and Technology has availed 8.5 acres of land for the project, with university officials confirming that personnel, including biomedical engineers, are already trained to support the facility.

Lawmakers on the committee, however, have raised important questions regarding counterpart funding and the high cost of specialized medicines. MP Peter Kiti urged the government to establish a special fund to make cancer drugs more affordable for ordinary citizens.

Read more about this development on Howwe Entertainment.