By PPU Reporter 

ADDIS ABABA. President Museveni has met senior officials of General Electric (GE), promising that the government will continue partnering with them in the health sector. 

The President made the commitment yesterday in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, as he met Mr Farid Fezoua, the CEO of GE Africa & GE Healthcare and Mr Alexander Oketch, the GE Regional Projects Development director for East Africa. 

President Museveni, who arrived in Addis Ababa on Saturday afternoon, is in Ethiopia for a three-day working visit where he will attend the 32nd Ordinary Assembly of African Union Heads of State. 

In the meeting with the GE officials, President Museveni said whereas the government had already undertaken a commitment to work with Dutch company, Philips, to equip 14 regional hospitals, there were still other opportunities that could be exploited by GE. 

"Our traditional political zones are 18 and each of this should have a regional hospital. Coupled with the five zones created out of Kampala, it means we should have 23 regional hospitals," said President Museveni. 

"If Philips helps us with the 14 hospitals, we still have nine others that we can work with GE to equip. But we also have lots of other opportunities at the lower units, the health centre IVs and IIIs," he added. 

Mr Fezoua thanked the government for working with his company in several other fields like building the oil refinery. 

About the hospitals, he said they will focus on supporting Ugandan facilities with modern technology, a key component of the package that includes civil works, providing equipment, training experts and servicing the machines for at least seven years. 

The President instructed the health ministry, whose permanent secretary, Dr Diana Atwiine, was in the meeting, to work out the finer details with GE. 

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