Holy Family Virika Hospital, commonly referred to as Virika Hospital, is a

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...

community hospital A community hospital can be purely a nominal designation or have a more specific meaning. When specific, it refers to a hospital that is accessible to the general public, and provides a general or specific medical care which is usually short-term, ...

, in

Fort Portal Fort Portal or Kabarole is a city located in the Western Region of Uganda. It is the seat of both Kabarole District and historically of the Toro Kingdom. Location Fort Portal in Kabarole District is located approximately by road, west of Kampa ...

Kabarole District Kabarole District is a district in Western Uganda. Kabarole District is part of the Kingdom of Toro. Its main town was Fort Portal before 1st July 2020 when it was elevated to a city, separating it from Kabarole district Government. The new Kabar ...

, Western Uganda.

Location

The hospital is located in the

central business district A central business district (CBD) is the commercial and business centre of a city. It contains commercial space and offices, and in larger cities will often be described as a financial district. Geographically, it often coincides with the "city ...

of the city of Fort Portal, along the Fort Portal–Kasese–Mpondwe Road, in Western Uganda, in the foothills of the

Rwenzori Mountains The Ruwenzori, also spelled Rwenzori and Rwenjura, are a range of mountains in eastern equatorial Africa, located on the border between Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The highest peak of the Ruwenzori reaches , and the range ...

. It lies about , southwest of

Fort Portal Regional Referral Hospital Fort Portal Regional Referral Hospital, commonly known as Fort Portal Hospital, sometimes referred to as Buhinga Hospital, is a hospital in the town of Fort Portal, in Fort Portal District, Western Uganda. It is the referral hospital for the dis ...

. This is about , northwest of

Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital, commonly known as Mbarara Hospital, is a hospital in Mbarara in the Western Region of Uganda. It is the referral hospital for the region and specifically for the districts of Mbarara, Bushenyi, Ntungamo, Kiru ...

. The geographical coordinates of Virika Hospital are: 0°38'16.0"N, 30°16'06.0"E (Latitude:0.637767; Longitude:30.268329).

Overview

Holy Family Virika Hospital is a private,

non-profit A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

, faith-based,

owned by the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Fort Portal The Roman Catholic Diocese of Fort Portal ( la, Arcis Portal) is a diocese located in the city of Fort Portal in the Ecclesiastical province of Mbarara in Uganda. The Catholic Diocese of Fort Portal formerly belonging to Rwenzori Vicariate was ...

. It is accredited to the ''Uganda Catholic Medical Bureau'', and it is administered by the Sisters of the Daughters of Saint Thereza of the Child Jesus, a religious congregation. The hospital serves patients from within

and from the neighboring districts of

Kasese Kasese is a town north of Lake George in the Western Region of Uganda. It originally grew around the copper mine at Kilembe, while attention later turned to cobalt mining. It is the chief town of Kasese District, and the district headquarters ...

Bundibugyo Bundibugyo is a town in the Western Region of Uganda. It is the 'chief town' of Bundibugyo District and the district headquarters are located there. Location Bundibugyo is located approximately , by road, west of Fort Portal, the nearest ...

Kamwenge Kamwenge is a town in the Western Region of Uganda. It is the site of the Kamwenge District headquarters. Location Kamwenge is approximately , by road, west of Kampala, Uganda's capital and largest city. This is approximately , by road, southe ...

Kyenjojo Kyenjojo is a town in the Western Region of Uganda. It is the main municipal, administrative, and commercial center of Kyenjojo District and the site of the district headquarters. Location Kyenjojo is at the intersection of two major highways. ...

and

Kibaale Kibaale is a town in the Western Region of Uganda. It is the main municipal, administrative, and commercial center of Kibaale District, and the district headquarters are located there. Location Kibaale is in Buyaga County, approximately , by ro ...

. The hospital runs the Bishop Magambo Counselor Training Institute, which offers a Master of Arts in Counseling degree, in collaboration with

Uganda Martyrs University Uganda Martyrs University (UMU) is a private University affiliated with the Roman Catholic Church in Uganda. The University is owned by the Episcopal Conference of the Catholic Bishops of Uganda. It is licensed by the Uganda National Council fo ...

. The hospital also runs the Virika Hospital School of Nursing.

History

Founded as a dispensary in 1911, by the White Sisters of our Lady of Africa, Virika Hospital gradually developed from those humble beginnings. In 1962 the hospital was handed over to the

Medical Mission Sisters The Medical Mission Sisters (MMS) is a religious congregation of women in the Roman Catholic Church. It was founded in September 1925 with a goal of providing the poor of the world better access to health care. They were formerly known as the "S ...

who expanded the facilities and established the Virika School of Nursing. The hospital was handed over to the

in 1975. The diocese entrusted the management of the institution to the religious congregation of the Sisters of the Daughters of Saint Thereza of the Child Jesus. In February 1994, Virika hospital suffered major

earthquake An earthquake (also known as a quake, tremor or temblor) is the shaking of the surface of the Earth resulting from a sudden release of energy in the Earth's lithosphere that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes can range in intensity, from ...

damage affecting 95 percent of the buildings. Repairs to the damage lasted from 1995 until 2000.

Hospital operations

As of December 2019, the hospital's bed capacity was 207. At that time, Holy Family Virika Hospital attended to 21,053 outpatients annually, on average. There were 8,369 inpatient admissions annually, on average, with a bed occupancy ratio of 37 percent. The hospital had 1,840 annual maternal deliveries, on average, with a caesarian section rate of 34.6 percent. In 2019, patient user-fees accounted for approximately 59.1 percent of total hospital annual income, on average.

References

External links