The United States Ambassador to Uganda Deborah R Malac has commended St Mary’s Hospital Lacor for providing quality care to communities in Northern Uganda and beyond.
Malac who this week has been on a tour of US funded projects in northern Uganda hailed Lacor hospital for saving lives by providing quality health care for impoverished during the conflict in northern Uganda.
The Ambassador was on Wednesday visiting Lacor hospital which has received grants from the US government to support its activities.
Ambassador Malac was welcomed at the hospital by His Grace Bishop John Baptist Odama of Gulu Arch Diocese which owns Lacor hospital. Also present was the executive director of the hospital Dr Cyprian Opira.
Malac who previously served in Liberia during the Ebola outbreak in 2014 paid tribute to Dr. Mathew Lukwiya who succumbed to the disease in 2000.
“I understand that several staff members including the medical superintendent Dr. Mathew Lukwiya succumbed to Ebola, it is a difficult thing to go through and I applaud Mathew’s dedication and that of the hospital for saving this community,” she said.
Since 2014, the US government has supported the hospital in improving HIV health services in the region. The facility currently supports 6,570 patients on antiretroviral treatment and handles a range of health needs, including tuberculosis and HIV related infections.
Lacor is currently being supported by the Uganda episcopal conference through Center for Disease Control (CDC) but will soon transition to being supported through a USAID partner.
The executive secretary of health department Dr. Sam Orach however expressed worries about the transition from CDC to USAID saying it could affect the hospital’s operations.
However, Ambassador allayed Dr Orach’s fears stating that the US remains committed to offering quality HIV services to the people of Uganda and that her team will ensure a smooth transition without disruption services.
Dr. Cyprian Opira welcomed the support the US is offering the hospital saying it has enabled the hospital to alleviate suffering and add productive years of life to people living with HIV/Aids and also prevented many children from becoming orphans.
He however cited that the hospital faces the challenge of reconciling the rising cost of service provision on the one hand and the inability of the patients to afford the true cost of their treatment.
Dr. Cyprian urged the ambassador to offer more support to the hospital because the people in the north are still in serious need of health services.
Ambassador Malac said the United States will continue to do its part to improve the health of Ugandans, but urged Ugandans to also do their part.
She urged Ugandan authorities to take responsibility for health programs, eliminate corruption, and operate in a transparent manner with all health funding.
In 55 years, Lacor hospital has grown from a small, 30-bed hospital to a complex institution offering general healthcare and specialized services in urology, orthopedics, fistula surgeries, and pediatrics.
