By Mulago National Referral Hospital has begun offering Cardiac MRI services, becoming the first health facility in Uganda to provide the highly specialised heart imaging procedure locally. The breakthrough is expected to significantly reduce the need for patients to travel abroad for advanced cardiac testing.
The state-of-the-art Cardiac MRI scanner will be jointly utilised by Mulago and the Uganda Heart Institute (UHI), marking a major milestone in the country’s growing capacity for modern cardiovascular diagnostics.
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Hospital officials say the new service will save Ugandan families millions of shillings previously spent on travel, accommodation, and treatment in countries such as India, Kenya, and South Africa.
A Cardiac MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) is a non-invasive test that uses strong magnetic fields and radio waves to produce highly detailed images of the heart and blood vessels. The technology is considered the gold standard for assessing heart structure, function, and tissue damage.
Specialists say the scan provides crucial information that other imaging methods such as echocardiograms or CT scans cannot fully capture.
The Cardiac MRI can show:
- Heart function: how well the heart pumps blood, including the size and thickness of the heart muscle.
- Heart structure: a 3D view of heart chambers, valves, and detailed blood flow patterns.
- Tissue characteristics: detection of scarring caused by previous heart attacks or inflammation.
Doctors use the test to diagnose a wide range of conditions, including congenital heart disease, heart muscle disorders, heart valve problems, and unexplained heart failure. It can also help detect tumors or growths in and around the heart, and assess damage after a heart attack.
Mulago’s new service is expected to ease the burden on the Uganda Heart Institute, which handles thousands of cardiac cases annually.
Health experts have welcomed the development as a major step in strengthening Uganda’s cardiac care system, which has struggled with long waiting lists and expensive referrals abroad.
The hospital is expected to begin scaling up access in the coming weeks as more specialists undergo training to operate and interpret the advanced imaging technology.
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