Buganda Katikiro cheers $4M bone marrow transplant push

Uganda's first bone-marrow transplant center is $4 million short of opening its doors, and a coalition just rallied to close that gap.

The Lubowa facility and what it treats

• JCRC is building the center in Lubowa, Uganda.
• It will handle leukemia, lymphoma, and sickle-cell disease.
• Only Kenya has a comparable facility in East Africa.
• Dr. Cissy Kityo says infrastructure investment is already substantial.

Funding push and partners involved

• Pearl Bank pledged 200 million Ugandan shillings to it.
• An online donation portal accepts mobile money and cards.
• Rotary Uganda is spearheading the fundraising campaign efforts.
• Katikiro Charles Peter Mayiga praised the whole collaboration.

Pearl Bank's rebrand and broader mission

• Julius Kakeeto leads the bank formerly called PostBank Uganda.
• Rebranding reflects expanded financial-services ambitions for Pearl Bank.
• Kakeeto frames the project as a strategic health investment.
• It aligns with national goals to cut overseas treatment costs.

JCRC's legacy in Ugandan healthcare

• JCRC launched in 1991 as an antiretroviral therapy pioneer.
• The new unit positions Uganda as a regional medicine leader.
• Sickle-cell disease impacts many families across central Uganda.