Lubowa Hospital Completion Set for Dec 2025 – Health Minister

The Ministry of Health says the construction of the Lubowa Specialized Hospital is proceeding smoothly and is currently at 45% completion.

In 2015, the government contracted an Italian company, Finasi ISHU Construction SPV SMC Limited, to undertake the design, finance, construction, and equipping of the hospital.

Now, Minister of Health Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng says the hospital is on the 6th floor and will be completed on 30th December 2025.

“The status is work is ongoing at 45%. Now, when I say 45%, many people may not know, but let me state here that we are on the 6th floor, so you’re welcome to go and see for yourself the status of Lubowa.”

Minister Aceng was presenting the Ministry of Health’s performance at the NRM manifesto week, taking place at the Office of the President.

In March 2019, Parliament approved the request by the Ministry of Finance to issue promissory notes to the proprietor and developer, Enrica Pinetti, for the construction of Lubowa Hospital valued at $379.71 million (about UGX 1.442 trillion). The facility was meant to be constructed on 32 hectares and divided into four zones: clinical, education, recreation, and housing zones.

Pinetti had promised to construct Lubowa Hospital in two years and later run the hospital for six years before it reverts to the Government. However, five years later, the project has faced numerous scandals, including a lack of progress on construction works. Despite these scandals, the Government has so far injected UGX 348 billion into the project between 2021 and 2022, while another UGX 319 billion was appropriated in the 2022/2023 financial year.

Meanwhile, Aceng says the Government has secured a loan of USD 70 million to construct a new Uganda Heart Institute facility at Naguru.

Minister Aceng says the Uganda Heart Institute was allocated 10 acres of land at Naguru by the Uganda Land Commission to construct the new facility.

Aceng adds that the construction works will commence in January next year.

According to Aceng, “The commitment is to increase access to specialized health care services by constructing, rehabilitating, and equipping hospitals and super-specialized centres of excellence in line with the National Health Policy.”