The United States has provided a $5.5 million United Nations Level 2 hospital to help support the Ugandan military. The 22-bed facility, equipped with specialised suites for dental and surgical care, is designed for rapid deployment in response to regional peacekeeping, humanitarian emergencies, and medical crises.
The donation marks the second UN Level 2 hospital delivered from the US to Uganda, the US military’s Africa Command (Africom) said on 31 October. The first donated hospital played a crucial role during the COVID-19 pandemic, significantly contributing to the Ugandan response and saving thousands of lives, including civilians, Africom said.
As part of the transfer, soldiers from the Uganda People’s Defence Force participated in intensive training at the Uganda Rapid Deployment Capabilities Centre in Jinja between 14 and 29 October. During training, they learned essential skills in setting up, operating, and dismantling the hospital to ensure effective deployment when needed.
“This initiative reflects the United States’ dedication to enhancing health care and humanitarian response capabilities as part of the more than 60-year partnership with the Ugandan people,” US Ambassador William Popp to Uganda said.
“The majority of US defence and security cooperation in Uganda supports health programmes with a direct impact on Ugandan citizens. While less than 3% of the nearly $1 billion in total US government development and humanitarian assistance to Uganda in 2023, nearly two-thirds of all US security cooperation funds went to health programmes, with the rest supporting human rights and legal training as well as peacekeeping efforts in Somalia,” Africom said.
