Crown Beverages Limited (CBL), the maker of soft drinks; Pepsi, Mirinda,
Mountain Dew, Sting, Evervess and Nivana Water on Saturday 29 January 2022 donated a CT Scan
machine to St Francis Hospital Mutolere in Kisoro District.
The donation of the SOMATOM go.Now.
(161118) CT Scan machine was made during
an event held at the Hospital grounds.
Speaking during the handover ceremony, the CBL Board Chairman Dr Amos Nzeyi
said that CBL has over-the-years been involved in a number of health-related
CSR initiatives and with particular involvement and support that has been
targeted to heath facilities located in hard-to-reach areas in Uganda.
Mutolere is one such facility and against this back-drop, the Hospital has
today received a SOMATOM go.Now.
(161118) CT Scan machine from us.
Nzeyi explained that, “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.”Amos Nzeyi
The SOMATOM go.Now. (161118) CT
Scan machine was made in Germany and it costs over 1.2billion Uganda shillings.
Mr Nzeyi clarified that Mr Augustine Mulenga Ceasor had pledged to
contribute US dollars 126,000 but Nzeyi told him to hand the money to the
hospital management.
“My brother my brother king ceasor
Mulenga he pledged 126000 on this machine.I told him mr murenga since the co
has been committed to by this machine I want to request to pass on this to
mutorele hospital.he will give you the money and you will use it to pay expert,”Dr
Nzeyi explained.
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.
In his remarks, the medical Director of St Francis Hospital Mutolere, Dr.
Mugisha Jerome, overwhelmed by the donation to the
hospital and community, expressed the hospital’s appreciation to Crown
Beverages Limited for their huge contribution, citing the importance of
state-of-the-art equipment that is relevant for the times and the prevalence of
the disease if we are to put up a good fight.
“On average, St Francis Hospital Mutolere 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.
With the installation of this new CT Scan equipment, we shall be able to
accurately diagnose patients in order to provide the right treatment and
prevent late referrals and drug misuse that is increasingly becoming a public
health problem with anticipated long term consequences’’ he revealed.
“With CBL’s donation today, 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.
He observed that, “The availability of this machine will enable us to carry
out frequent and routine checks for Cancer prevention and early detection
within the community which will enable us to start early treatment and ensure
better patient experience”
The World Health Organization estimates that between 30–50% of all cancers
are avoidable by preventing or reducing exposure to cancer risk factors.
Early detection by use of appropriate machinery and technology similarly
help in the provision of early treatment for patients. The core function of
SOMATOM go.Now. (161118) CT Scan machine will be for early detection as an
enabler for early and timely treatment for patients.
In his address, the CBL CEO, Mr Paddy Muramiirah commented on the company’s
continued interest and investment in Corporate Social Investment initiatives.
He said that, “CBL has carried out several Corporate social investment
engagements through key touch-points in the lives of our customers and the
communities in which we operate across the areas of health, education,
environment and sports as a way to give back to customers and their loved
ones.”
He noted that “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.”
“As a business we are continually seeking to provide appropriate solutions
to the current challenges facing communities in and around us,” he concluded.
Dr. Shiraj Pacific of Diagnostics who supplied
the CT scan assured the Public of the quality of the machine. She said that
Mutolere hospital experts will be working with experts from their company for
better services. She said that in her career as a doctor and an entrepreneur,
it is her first time to witness an individual company donating a machine of
such a caliber.
Apart from the machine, Crown Beverages Limited
helped in the construction of the structure to house the machine.
The Kisoro district Chairman Abel Bizimana
appreciated the Crown Beverages and Amos Nzeyi in particular for remembering
the People of Kisoro.
The Kisoro district RDC retired Captain Peter
Mugisha asked Mutolere Hospital management to ensure proper machine management
for it to properly serve Ugandans.
