Authorities at Our Lady of Good Health Rushoroza Hospital in Kabale District have attributed the facility’s top ranking in the Kigezi regional health performance assessment to sustained investment in quality healthcare, human resources, medical equipment and patient-centred services.
The private not-for-profit hospital was ranked the best-performing health facility in the Kigezi region during the Kigezi Joint Health Review Mission held at Volcano Hotel in Rubanda District last week.
The findings were presented by Dr Anne Marion Namutebi, a Senior Executive Consultant at Kabale Regional Referral Hospital, following an assessment conducted with support from the Ministry of Health across health facilities in the region.
Rushoroza Hospital was followed by Rubanda District Hospital, while Kabale District emerged as the best-performing district overall, followed by Rubanda and Kanungu.
Speaking to our reporter on Monday, Rushoroza Hospital Medical Superintendent and specialist surgeon, Dr Martin Bikoryomuhangi, said the latest recognition was the result of years of deliberate efforts to improve the quality of healthcare services. He said the hospital had previously been recognised among the country’s most improved Private health facilities, ranking sixth nationally in the 2020/2021 financial year.
Dr Bikoryomuhangi said the previous achievement helped the hospital build a culture of excellence that has continued to improve patient outcomes.
“Being ranked higher is an honour, and the performance ultimately translates into the experience and the patient’s outcome,” he said.
He said the hospital’s success should be judged by the quality of care and outcomes patients receive rather than the ranking itself.
“If a pregnant mother comes to this facility, is she catered for, and does she go home with her child? Or if a critically ill patient comes to this facility on oxygen, how does he or she go home?” he asked.
Dr Bikoryomuhangi identified committed health workers, including doctors, nurses, midwives, allied health professionals, administrators and support staff, as a major factor behind the hospital’s performance.
He said the hospital also conducts regular clinical audits to identify gaps in service delivery and ensure continuous improvement.
Rushoroza Hospital has invested in diagnostic services and equipment, including digital X-ray machines, 4D ultrasound scanners and very high endoscopy equipment. The laboratory can conduct more than 1,000 tests, including tumour markers, and the hospital plans to seek accreditation by the Kenya Accreditation Service (KENAS).
The medical superintendent also credited development partners, including African Mission Healthcare, for supporting investments in human resources, quality improvement and surgical equipment.
He said such support had helped the hospital transform the lives of patients suffering from chronic conditions and restore their confidence and dignity.
He cited the hospital’s women’s fistula repair programme as one of the interventions that has restored dignity to affected women and their families.
Fistula, which can develop following childbirth, can cause urine or stool to leak through the birth canal and often leads to stigma, social isolation and marital breakdown.
In July, the hospital operated on about 21 women from the Kigezi region under the fistula repair programme.
Dr Bikoryomuhangi said the hospital also receives patients from distant areas, including Gomba and Kampala, with conditions such as goiter and other large neck swellings that can interfere with breathing and swallowing.
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The hospital administrator, Sr Annociata Atwiine, said the recognition was not entirely unexpected because the facility has consistently performed well in health evaluations conducted through the Uganda Catholic Medical Bureau (UCMB).
“For me, it was not a surprise because we have been performing well all along. Even when we attended UCMB meetings and evaluations, we consistently scored highly, often in the 80s and 90s out of 100,” she said.
Sr Atwiine said the hospital’s previous ranking sixth nationally among private hospitals had also boosted staff confidence.
“As the doctor mentioned, we had already been ranked sixth at the national level, so we were confident in our performance,” she said.
She attributed the performance to the hospital’s commitment to quality patient care and staff attentiveness to patients’ needs.
She said transparency and accountability are among the hospital’s core values and have helped create a results-oriented culture.
“We are result-oriented. What is key for us is transparency and accountability, and those are among our core values,” Sr Atwiine said.
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Digital transformation
Immaculate Arineitwe, the hospital’s assistant accountant, IT personnel and administrative secretary, attributed the facility’s improved performance partly to investments in digital systems and patient convenience.
She said the hospital’s transition from manual paperwork to digital systems had improved efficiency and reduced delays.
Arineitwe said the hospital introduced a digital medical system known as Streamline, which enables staff to process patient information more efficiently.
“I was among the staff members trained to use the system, and I later trained other staff members. The system has made our work easier and improved the patient experience by reducing delays, particularly the time patients spend in queues when entering and leaving the hospital,” she said.
She also commended the administration for introducing multiple payment options, including cash, bank payments and mobile money.
She said the options have made it easier for patients to settle their bills while accessing healthcare services.
“Our patients have also embraced these changes and continued to work with us very well. We appreciate the administration for making such investments and putting the needs of our patients first,” she said.
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Despite the recognition, Dr Bikoryomuhangi said the growing number of patients and increasing expectations had placed additional pressure on the hospital’s human resources and infrastructure.
He appealed for increased support to strengthen the hospital’s workforce so that it can continue providing quality, timely and affordable services.
He also called for an increase in the primary healthcare grant, particularly the credit line to Joint Medical Stores for medicines.
“These drugs help us provide highly subsidised services to the communities we serve,” he said.
The hospital also needs support for infrastructure development to cope with growing demand.
Dr Bikoryomuhangi said the hospital’s strategic priorities were developed from challenges identified through community surveys and monthly patient satisfaction surveys.
He identified attracting and retaining healthcare workers, especially specialists, as one of the major challenges.
“One of the challenges is attracting and retaining healthcare workers, especially specialists. We plan to see how best we can attract and retain them,” he said.
The hospital also faces challenges in financing expensive medical equipment, consumables, maintenance and infrastructure, with patient-generated revenue often insufficient to meet the costs.
Dr Bikoryomuhangi said rising salary expectations and the increasing cost of living had further limited the hospital’s ability to recruit additional staff.
He said balancing affordability with quality healthcare for vulnerable patients remained another challenge for the mission hospital.
“As a mission hospital, one of our agendas is to serve even the poorest of the poor. Offering high-quality services to people who cannot afford them and balancing that equation is usually a challenge,” he said.
He also said patients increasingly expect the hospital to offer highly specialised services, including heart surgery, despite some of these services being beyond its current capacity.
To address affordability, the hospital plans to increase enrolment in its community health insurance scheme.
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More than 2,200 people are currently enrolled, but the hospital wants to significantly increase membership so that more people in its catchment area can access affordable healthcare.
The hospital also plans to expand specialised services, including minimally invasive surgery, after acquiring the necessary equipment.
It further plans to expand laboratory technology and equipment, strengthen digital systems and data management, and improve infrastructure, particularly the maternity and emergency care units.
The hospital also intends to recruit more specialists and sub-specialists and improve patient experience by strengthening respectful and responsive care while reducing delays in accessing services and receiving results.
Rushoroza Hospital handled more than 60,000 patients during the 2025/2026 financial year, including more than 41,000 outpatient visits and over 6,000 admissions.
It also conducted more than 1,000 general surgeries and recorded more than 1,000 maternal deliveries during the same period.
Dr Bikoryomuhangi said the latest recognition would motivate the hospital to address its challenges while sustaining improvements in healthcare delivery.
“Through the commitment of our healthcare workers and the support of our partners, we have been able to restore hope and dignity to many patients. That is something we are very proud of as a hospital,” he said.
