Crown Beverages Limited Donates a CT Scan Machine to St Francis Hospital

St Francis Hospital Mutolere in Kisoro District has received state of the art  SOMATOM go.Now. (161118) CT Scan machine, thanks to Crown Beverages Limited.

While handing over the machine, CBL Board chairman Dr. Amos Nzeyi notes that over the years they have been involved in CSR activities with particular involvement and support to health facilities in hard to reach areas with St Francis Hospital Mutolere being one.

 “This equipment provides for closer care with a unique Mobile Workflow delivering the image quality and dose reduction technologies required in today’s health arena. It is supported by AI-powered scan automation and new clinical features for an even wider range of indications,” Nzeyi explained.

 “Our donation today as Crown Beverages Limited is highly strategic in nature and it aligns with our Business Ethos and Corporate Social Investment focus,” he noted, adding that, “We believe that it will go a long way in ensuring more Ugandans within the western corridor get the tests and treatment they need in time.”

On his part the Hospital director Dr.Mugisha Jerome who could not hide his joy noted that with the machine in place they will ably serve their patients because they are now in a better position to carry out frequent cancer checks for prevention and early detection in the region.

Dr.Mugisha adds that on average the facility receives up to 7 cases of cancer patients seeking treatment every month. We also refer at least 3 patients with injuries to Mbarara and Kampala for CT Scans. There is also an increasing number of hard to diagnose benign conditions that are referred out on a regular basis for CT scan, he added.

“With CBL’s donation, as a hospital that has medical personnel that have the right skills to support an informed fight against cancer and it’s treatment, I am certain that we will be able to create lasting change within our region,” Dr. Mugisha remarked.

In his address, the CBL CEO, Mr Paddy Muramiirah said this initiative is going to help minimize cost related to travel and accommodation for patients and their families, by leveraging some of the latest CT scan technology to ensure accurate diagnosis and treatment as well as contribute to a better and healthier Kisoro population in the years to come,” adding that, “The machine is intended to provide service to people within Kisoro district and from neighboring towns and districts, he added.

According to a report published on Science Direct in a journal of Cancer Policy dated March 2021, the report shows that in Uganda, 32,000 new cases and 21,000 deaths caused by cancer occurred in 2018 while 56,238 people were living with cancer by 2018.

According to the Globocan cancer statistics report of 2018 [2], the top seven cancers in Uganda – cancer of the cervix, KS, breast, prostate, NHL, liver and esophageal – account for 70% of new cancer cases. Late presentation that is estimated to stand at 80% and limited access to diagnosis and treatment services contribute to the high cancer death rate in Uganda.