KAMPALA. Mulago National Referral Hospital has started offering cardiac MRI services, marking a major step forward in advanced heart disease diagnosis in Uganda.
“The state-of-the-art Cardiac MRI scan will support Mulago together with the Uganda Heart Institute,” the hospital management said on Friday.
“This will save Ugandans the high costs incurred abroad while accessing cardiac testing services.”
A cardiac MRI provides detailed information that other scans often cannot. It measures how well the heart is pumping, checks the size and thickness of heart muscles, and gives clear 3D images of the heart’s chambers.
The scan also shows tissue characteristics, allowing doctors to detect scarring from a previous heart attack and other subtle abnormalities that may be missed by routine tests.
Heart disease has become one of Uganda’s fastest-growing health challenges.
According to Ministry of Health estimates, non-communicable diseases account for over 30% of all deaths, with hypertension and heart failure rising sharply over the past decade.
Studies at the Uganda Heart Institute show that more young adults are developing cardiomyopathies, rheumatic heart disease remains common, and late diagnosis continues to worsen outcomes.
Foreign referrals for complex cardiac imaging have placed a heavy financial burden on families and the national health system.
Before this development, Ugandans often had to travel to Kenya, India or South Africa for advanced cardiac MRI scans, with individual cases costing between USD 2,000–6,000 excluding travel and accommodation.
Mulago says the new service will significantly reduce these referrals, speed up diagnosis, and make life-saving cardiac care more accessible to the population.