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Kampala — Aga Khan University Hospital is poised to expand its footprint in East Africa after acquiring land from government to build aspecialised health facility in Kampala.

The 60-acre piece of land, which is part of the former Nakawa-Naguru Housing Estate, will host a teaching hospital.

The facility will serve as hospital and a health training institution for the Aga Khan University located on Gadaffi Road in Old Kampala, which trains doctors, nurses, midwives and allied health professionals.

The hospital will have specialties in cardiology and cardiothoracic surgery, cancer, women and child health, neurology and minimally invasive surgery; and advanced diagnostic equipment such as MRI and CT scanners and nuclear medicine, a statement released by the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) yesterday indicated.

President Museveni and His Highness the Aga Khan are expected to attend the event where the project will be formally announced at the ground-breaking at Nakawa in Kampala on Thursday.

According to AKDN, the first phase of constructing the university teaching hospital will start in 2017 and be completed in 2020 at a cost of $100 million (about Shs350 billion).

"At that point, it will have 150 beds. Thereafter, it is expected that it will add capacity over time, and could eventually reach 600 beds," the statement added.

"It will provide Ugandans with access to world-class care when they need it and where they need it, preventing unnecessary suffering due to delays or unavailability as well as the expense and disruption of seeking care abroad," the statement added.

It is expected to be equipped with specialised cardiac operation theatres, intensive care units and radiation therapy equipment. As a tertiary hospital, the hospital in Kampala will provide the most advanced types of care and be capable of diagnosing and treating the most complicated cases.

"Upon completion of construction, the hospital will begin educating specialist physicians in surgery, internal medicine, paediatrics and obstetrics and gynaecology. Four additional disciplines will be added thereafter," the AKDN indicated.

The University also plans to expand its existing nursing and midwifery programmes through its School of Nursing and Midwifery in Kampala, where 539 students have earned degrees so far.

The hospital will join the Aga Khan University Hospital in Nairobi as one of the only hospitals in sub-Saharan Africa to meet rigorous international quality standards.

Lands Minister, Daudi Migereko, told Daily Monitor yesterday that the lease and terms for the lease will depend on the progress of the project. "They are supposed to build a teaching hospital and that is what we expect to see at the end of the five years," Mr Migereko said.