Uganda, April 10 -- Irene Nerima, 30, a resident of Kampala, is one of the patients with end-stage kidney disease, who had hopes of getting a transplant at Mulago National Referral Hospital.

The successful kidney transplant in December 2023 at the facility raised hopes for Ms Nerima that she was likely to be a beneficiary of the complicated, life-saving procedure.

Other patients in her state have had to muster a minimum Shs80m and take a plane ride to Nairobi, the capital of the neighbouring Kenya, to have a kidney transplant.

It costs much higher, Shs200m, in India - a popular medical tourism destination for Ugandans with means.

Ms Nerima is not in the league of financially stable citizens. As such, the possibility of the procedure b...