The management of Lira Regional Referral Hospital and Hoima Regional Referral Hospital have committed to strengthening their working relationship to improve healthcare service delivery in the build-up to the 2027 AFCON tournament.
The commitment was reached on Tuesday, 6 October 2026, during a benchmarking visit by members of the top management of Lira Regional Referral Hospital to Hoima Regional Referral Hospital.
Speaking during the visit, Dr. Andrew Odur, Senior Executive Consultant at Lira Regional Referral Hospital, said the two institutions had agreed to explore areas of cooperation, particularly in diagnostic services, accidents and emergency care.
Dr. Odur said the Lira team had gained valuable insights from their counterparts at Hoima Regional Referral Hospital in areas including patient care and handling, intensive care services and security management.
He noted that the partnership would be extended beyond the top management level to include Heads of Department, Senior Consultants, Consultants and middle-level managers, with the aim of strengthening knowledge-sharing and coordinated healthcare delivery.
The host, Dr. Ibrahim Bwaaga, Senior Executive Consultant at Hoima Regional Referral Hospital, said the two hospitals had also agreed to engage government on the provision of an air ambulance to support both facilities.
He said an air ambulance would significantly enhance preparedness and response to accidents and medical emergencies, particularly during AFCON 2027.
The Board Chairperson of Hoima Regional Referral Hospital, Canon Sabiti Mbabazi, applauded the management of Lira Regional Referral Hospital for choosing Hoima as a benchmarking partner and welcomed the initiative to strengthen collaboration between the two institutions.
During the visit, the Lira team was taken on a guided tour of Hoima Regional Referral Hospital, where they visited several specialised units, including the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), Dialysis Unit, Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), and Accident and Emergency Department, among others.
The collaboration is expected to strengthen institutional capacity, improve emergency preparedness and promote the sharing of expertise and best practices between the two regional referral hospitals as Uganda prepares to host AFCON 2027.
