Joshua Nahamya
15 August, 2025
Mbarara City – Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital [MRRH] has received a fully-fledged anesthesia machine from the Hal Tilbury family from San Diego.
According to the hospital’s publicist, Halson Kagure, the anesthesia equipment delivers anesthesia, oxygen, and monitors vital signs during specialized surgical procedures.
While handing over the state-of-the-art anesthesia equipment on Friday, Kagure confirmed that the donated anesthesia machine worth over Shs 200mln is accompanied by an operating bed, suction machine, monitors, among other components, which help to deliver quick operations to the patients.
“Today was an important day, because we did commission an anesthesia machine together with its operating bed which is the latest machine we have received from Hal Tilbury family from United States of America,” Kagure noted
He said, “This is the latest top-notch equipment valued at over Shs 200mln, that will be serving as dual-purpose equipment at the health facility.
Dr Twesigye warning medics to handle the donated machine with care. Joshua Nahamya
He added that the machine will also be used to train medical students at Mbarara University of Science and Technology [MUST], among other medical institutions attached to the main hospital in Mbarara.
“Being a teaching hospital affiliated to Mbarara University of Science and technology (MUST), such equipment will equip the medical students with enough skills regarding to use of sophisticated technology while offering comprehensive super specialized, and specialized health care system by the time they complete their course,” Kagure explained.
He appealed to the government and well-wishers to extend more support to accommodate the large number of referrals they receive from other health facilities in the region.
“Being a regional hospital, we usually receive a numbers of patients and the machines to work on them may not be enough but we are glad that the ministry of health has pledged to give us the aesthesia machine plus operating tables. And we also have information that the World Bank has pledged to equip our neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) which is under construction, with this support we shall be good to go but we can’t stop from asking for more.” Kagure revealed
Dr Deus Twesigye, Acting hospital Director, while receiving the modern equipment explained that the donation is as a result of the partnership the hospital has with collaborators from America who visited the hospital and discovered a dying need for the sophisticated machines especially in the department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology to deliver specialised care to save the lives of mothers and their babies.
“This family visited the facility in October, 2024 and was impressed by the dedicated medical services being extending to the patients at the regional hospital. However they realized that doctors were making operations manually and they pledged to donate anesthesia machine to improve on the quality of health care at the hospital,” Twesigye noted
This is the second time the same family has donated an anesthesia machine in just two years to improve health services at MRRH.
“Today it has been a blessing to receive this modern bed and this equipment you are seeing here. They donated almost the same equipment in December 2024. So upon receiving this again, we are very grateful and after commissioning the doctors will start operating using the fancy gadgets from our collaborators and friends,” Dr Twesigye explained
He asked the specialists to maintain the donated equipment in good shape to serve the intended purpose for some time.
“They are very delicate; servicing them is very expensive, so the more you keep them in a safe working condition, the better for use. That’s why I am thankful to the in charges that have struggled to maintain these machines in good working condition,” Twesigye stated
“We have 8 operating theatres, so by receiving such an aesthesia machine; it will add value on the surgeons who have been operating patients manually at the referral here.” He added
Dr. Musa Kayondo, Head of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, embraced the support, noting that it will enhance access to quality care across all departments in the hospital.
He acknowledged that the department has been challenged by inadequate equipment, although they have been performing their duties above the country’s expectations.
“We deliver 10,000 women every year in this hospital, of which half are by caesarean section. Those are the women who need operations during delivery. And most of whom we operate are those with complicated complex cases referred to MRRH from other hospitals, referrals also refer to this hospital that do need such sophisticated machines and beds for them to be alive, to have a safe operation, and also have their babies safe,” Kayondo explained.
He added that they work on women who have other complications like cancer and fistula. “We also work on women who are not for delivery purposes. Those who have cancer, the women who have fistula, the women who have all gynaecological problems still come up here, So that’s why we need such special equipment to work on them.” Kayondo said
Out of seventeen (17) regional referral hospitals across the country, Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital remains the sole regional referral hospital that has established itself as a regional center of excellence offering unique specialized services. The hospital is reportedly second to Mulago in performing high volumes of surgical procedures, although still challenged with meager resources such as low staffing rates and medical supplies issues, among others.
Currently, it is estimated that MRRH’s catchment area comprises five million people, a figure which is far above its counterparts. This is due to the fact that the hospital receives patients beyond the Ankole catchment area, stretching to other regional referral hospitals, refugee communities, and the neighbouring countries like the Democratic Republic of Congo, Tanzania, Rwanda, and Burundi.
