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Receiving the facility, URDC Commander Brigadier General Peter Gaetano Omola expressed gratitude to the U.S. government, attributing the gesture to strong diplomatic ties between the two nations
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JINJA - The United States government has donated a fully equipped Level II hospital to the Uganda Peoples’ Defence Forces (UPDF) at the Uganda Rapid Deployment Capability Centre (URDC) headquarters in Jinja. Receiving the facility, URDC Commander Brigadier General Peter Gaetano Omola expressed gratitude to the U.S. government, attributing the gesture to strong diplomatic ties between the two nations. “It is a manifestation that our strategic leaders in both governments are working in harmony for our mutual benefit,” he remarked.
This donation marks the second Level II hospital provided by the U.S. to the UPDF through the African Peacekeeping Rapid Response Partnership (APRRP) program, which began in 2016.
Brigadier General Omola highlighted that the first Level II hospital, initially stationed in Bombo for COVID-19 response, is currently deployed in Mogadishu, supporting UPDF troops in the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS). The goal, he explained, is for the UPDF to maintain two Level II hospitals: one for training and another for emergency deployments.
Brigadier General Dr. Kiyengo, representing the Joint Health Services, emphasized the hospital’s advanced equipment for diagnosing and treating patients in areas such as dentistry, radiology, surgery, X-ray, and eye care.
Dr. Joe Bibling, head of the American team behind the donation and an associate professor of military and emergency medicine at the U.S. Military Medical School, affirmed the program’s purpose to enhance the UPDF’s ability to respond to crises across Africa, from natural disasters to peacekeeping. He noted that a UN Level II field hospital provides surgical services, an intensive care unit, general outpatient care, and more.
Uganda, chosen for the donation due to its role as a peacekeeping pillar on the African continent, also received a water treatment plant and incinerator alongside the hospital.
