BACKGROUND AND PRESENT STATUS

Background

The Chapel at Mulago Hospital began in 1973.  The Chapel was housed within New Mulago Hospital complex. The Christians were praying in Davies Lecture Theatre on 6TH Floor.  The need for a permanent structure was strongly felt as the Hospital expanded its services.  The Christians raised money through out of pocket expenditure and the foundation stone for the permanent structure was laid by His Grace, The Most Rev. Dr. Yonah Okoth on the 22nd November 1992.  This was during the time of the then Chaplain Rev. Canon Erasmus Bitarabeho. Eight years later, His Grace The Most Rev. Dr. Livingstone Mpalanyi Nkoyoyo, the successor of the Most Rev. Dr. Yonah Okoth consecrated the Chapel on 3rd December 2000. The Head of Laity at the time was Late Sam Laban Jjumba who was heading the school of orthopedics. It was at this time that the Anglican Communion at Mulago Hospital felt they had their own place of worship.

 Present status

Mulago Hospital is a National Referral and University Teaching Hospital.  The hospital has a bed capacity of 1,500 but the in-patient number may go up to 3,000. Its population has increased to fifteen thousand 15,000 people over time.  It is a complex of two hospitals and three training institutions. The training schools include: UIAHMS Schools, Dental School, the Infectious Disease Institute (IDI), the Baylor College, specializing in children infected with HIV; the School of Nursing and Midwifery, Health Tutor’s College, Makerere University School of Public Health and the Medical School(College of Health Sciences)

Mulago Hospital being a National Referral Hospital, receives people of all categories from all the districts of the country. It also receives people from the neighboring countries of Kenya, Tanzania, Somali Republic, Southern Sudan, Eastern Congo, Rwanda and Burundi, either as patients or visitors.

So the presence of the Chaplaincy cannot be over emphasized as it plays a crucial role by way of Ministry to the patients and staff of the Hospital.  The Chaplaincy’s service area goes beyond the hospital boundaries. There are also communities that live in and around Mulago such as Katanga, Kiwonvu and Katale zones that are slum areas. There is also the Doctors’ village and Old Mulago Staff quarters, where the families of the health workers that serve in the hospital, live.  Then there is the Kitante area.  These are the catchment areas for Christian Ministry.