Support for the burn unit of Kiruddu Hospital, Uganda

Kiruddu National Referral Hospital in Kampala is the only state-run hospital in Uganda with a burn unit. It was largely established and shaped by the Dutch plastic surgeon and founder of Interplast Netherlands, Rein Zeeman. Under extremely difficult conditions and with a lack of virtually everything, Kiruddu Hospital treats thousands of burn patients free of charge each year – at least the small percentage of burn victims who manage to get there, mostly on their own. A significant proportion of the patients are women and children, many of whom suffer burns due to unsafe cooking practices.

The hospital treats over 4,000 outpatient burn cases and around 1,000 inpatients annually, but despite the dedicated efforts of its staff, it can only adequately treat about half of the burns due to budget constraints. Survival rates in particularly severe cases involving burns covering 60 to 70% of the body surface remain low without urgently needed investments in advanced burn treatment technologies, such as the establishment of a skin bank.

We visited Kiruddu Hospital in the summer of 2025 and were able to assess the conditions and needs. As a result, we will support Dr. Rose Alenyo and her burn unit with personnel costs for a plastic surgeon and a physiotherapist, as well as with the procurement of burn treatment equipment and bandages.