CURE Opens Largest Specialized Paediatric ICU Building in Uganda
The CURE Children’s Hospital of Uganda (CURE Uganda) is the world’s foremost neurosurgical hospital, treating children suffering from brain conditions such as hydrocephalus, spina bifida, and tumours.
Over its 21-year history, the hospital has expanded and improved its facility to ensure that all patients have access to the safest care possible. The nature of neurosurgery requires that each patient stay overnight for observation in an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) after their surgery.
The hospital’s existing ICU was unable to handle an increased patient volume and the hospital had to postpone new patient surgeries until some of the children in the ICU could be safely moved to the ward.
On 22nd September 2022 CURE Uganda opened a new specialized paediatric ICU building, setting a new benchmark for surgical care for children with treatable disabilities. This building was funded by CURE’s affiliate office, CURE International Canada.
Speaking at the grand opening ceremony, guest of honour Permanent Secretary of Uganda’s Ministry of Health, Dr. Diane Atwine Ahamada Washaki, said,
“I am amazed at the power of having a vision and commitment, and you walk that path until you achieve it,” says Dr. Diana Atwine. “I love the mission you stand for; I love the values you uphold; I love the culture of work that you have; I love the environment that you create for our people; I love that you value quality; I love the spiritual component of your service – that you care for the whole person, and you let the children know that they are special to God.”
Fully Equipped for Critical Care
“Our capacity to perform more surgeries a day while still doing critical care services will expand significantly,” says Tim Erickson, Executive Director of CURE Uganda. “We will be able to increase our capacity to treat more children by 80%. For surgery volume, we will be able to reach our future surgical goals of more than 2,000 children each year.”
[This article was originally published on 27th September 2022 on the CURE US website]
