An American-based group, Plus 15 Company, has offered to unveil plans to initiate development programmes on some of the islands in Lake Victoria, Kalangala district.
According to Dr. Samuel L. De Shay, who works the US-based Company, construction of a medical centre of international standard on one of the islands constituting Kalangala district with the aim of improving the health care needs of the local population.
Dr. De Shay disclosed this plan during a meeting with President Museveni and some Kalangala district leaders that took place yesterday at State House, Entebbe. He told the President that the medical facility would be an asset to the area as tourists would be sure of ready medical attention when they are visiting Kalangala district.
Kalangala district, with an estimated population of over 47,000, covers an area of 3,500 square miles of which only 166 square miles is land and the rest is open water of Lake Victoria. The district is made up of 84 widely scattered islands in the northwestern part of Lake Victoria of which only 43 are inhabited. The biggest island is Bugala Island which covers 114 square miles of the district land mass.
Dr. De Shay reported that they would build what he dubbed an Island of health, factories and creation of modern cities. He identified Bugala Island in the district as one of the core areas to initiate such developments.
President Museveni warmly welcomed the initiative of the American-based Company to extend its development efforts to Kalangala district adding that the projects would go a long way to stop the hemorrhage of resources where people go to access medical treatment outside the country especially in South Africa and India, among other destinations. He emphasized that Uganda needs such projects for medical tourism and assured Dr. De Shay that suitable land would be availed to him to fulfill the Company’s dreams. He suggested that the medical center could be sited on the Island while factories could be established on the mainland.
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