Gulu University will in February begin construction work on a multi-billion shillings teaching hospital and a modern bio-science laboratory.
Currently, students pursuing Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgeries carry out part of their training and internship at Gulu Referral Hospital, Gulu Independent Hospital and St Mary’s Hospital-Lacor.
With US$12M about 42 billion shillings funding from the African Development Bank (ADB), the university will also build new blocks for Faculty of Agriculture and Environment.
Recently, ADB approved a $103m loan to support science and technology in six universities in Uganda including Gulu University. The other universities will include: Makerere, Kyambogo, Busitema, Mbarara, and the newly created Muni in west Nile sub region.
Prof Jack Nyeko Pen- Mogi, the Vice Chancellor of the university revealed on Saturday during the university’s 11th graduation ceremony that a contract for the construction of the new facilities was signed in December last year and that work is expected to begin in a month’s time.
According to Prof Pen-Mogi, the contractor visited the site two weeks ago. The Gulu University Vice Chancellor did not however name the construction company that was awarded the contract.
Pen- Mogi said due to inadequate land, the teaching hospital will be built at a constituent college of the university while the bio-science lab and the new blocks for Faculty of Agriculture will be constructed on a 70 acre land that the university has secured in Laroo division, Gulu Municipality.
Despite operating for the last 12-years, Gulu University has failed to secure land for establishing a permanent campus.
Pen-Mogi said the teaching hospital will not only improve quality of medical training at the institution but it will benefit the communities as well.
The Gulu University Vice Chancellor said most of the patients who are flown to India from Uganda for treatment end up at university teaching hospitals because of excellent facilities.
He said in future when land becomes available, a university teaching hospital will be built in Gulu where the institution has a faculty of medicine.
The Gulu University Vice Chancellor blames their failure to secure land on various factors such as lack of cooperation from local authorities and land disputes.
Meanwhile Gulu Constituent College- Lira, which is a branch of Gulu University, will start to admit students of its own next academic year, according to the university officials.
