Mengo Hospital

Plot 71 Located on Albert Cook Road , Mengo Hill
Address: P.O Box 7161 Kampala ,
Tel: 041-4270222/23
Email: ha@mengohospital.com
Website:
Kampala

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Concise profile of Mengo Hospital extracted from the provided text:

Overview

• Type: Private Not-for-Profit (PNFP) missionary hospital.

• Established: 22nd February 1897 by Dr. Sir Albert Ruskin Cook (pioneer hospital in Uganda and East Africa).

• Location: Sir Albert Cook Road, Mengo town, Namirembe Hill, Kampala, Uganda.

• Bed Capacity: 250–300 beds.

• Ownership: Church of Uganda, with the sitting Archbishop as Patron and Bishops as Trustees.

• Governance: Board of Governors and Hospital Management Team (HMT).

Mission & Vision

• Vision: “To be the Centre of Excellence for quality, holistic health care, medical education, and research.”

• Mission: “To provide quality, holistic, patient-centered, evidence-based health care services and medical education bearing witness to Jesus Christ.”

Key Strengths

• Well-established infrastructure and equipment.

• General and specialized health services.

• Highly skilled workforce.

Services & Training

• Specialized Units: Blood bank, eye clinic (serving ~6,000 patients monthly), maternity (415 deliveries/month), general surgery (360 procedures/month).

• Training Schools:

  • Midwifery School (founded in 1919 by Catherine Cook).

  • Laboratory training school.

  • Partnership with Uganda Christian University for medical/dental training.

  • Ernest Cook Ultrasound Research and Imaging Institute (ECUREI).

  • Accredited for physician fellowship programs.

Achievements

• Lowest maternal death rates among regional referral hospitals in Uganda (awarded 2017).

• Innovations in obstetrics emergency care, audits, and performance-linked pay for midwives.

Challenges

• Financial sustainability: Reliance on user fees (insufficient for capital development and salaries).

• Aging infrastructure: Buildings scattered across 22 acres, requiring redevelopment.

Future Projects

• New accident and emergency unit (funded).

• Modern eye hospital (funded by CBM and University of Saarland with a €4.3M grant).

Role in Uganda’s Health System

• PNFP sector contributes 40–42% of Uganda’s national health output.

• Part of faith-based networks (Catholic, Protestant, Muslim, Orthodox).

Quote from Leadership

“Health workers must embrace the right value system to improve health systems. Health care must be accessible in terms of cost, distance, equipment, and human resources.” — Dr. Rose Mutumba, Ophthalmologist & Director of Mengo Hospital.

Legacy

• Founded as a grass-thatched clinic, rebuilt after a 1912 fire.

• Trained Uganda’s first medical assistants (led to establishment of Mulago Hospital and Makerere University Medical School).

This profile highlights Mengo Hospital’s historical significance, faith-based governance, and commitment to holistic care amid financial and infrastructural challenges.

References:

1. Africa Health (July 2019), “Mengo Hospital: A faith-based not-for-profit contributing to health care in Uganda.”

2. Hospital records, interviews with Dr. Rose Mutumba.