Pearl Bank commits UGX 200 Million to Uganda’s first bone marrow transplant centre

JINJA, Uganda — Pearl Bank has committed UGX 200 million toward a national fundraising campaign to build Uganda’s first Bone Marrow Transplant (BMT) Centre, deepening its health-focused corporate social investment strategy as the bank joined commemorations for World Sickle Cell Day in Jinja on Thursday.

The contribution forms part of a broader UGX 14.8 billion drive led by the Joint Clinical Research Centre (JCRC) to establish the centre at its Lubowa campus, which will treat blood cancer and sickle cell disease once operational. The campaign, which launched in Kampala earlier this year, expanded to the Busoga region — one of Uganda’s hardest-hit areas for sickle cell disease, with a trait prevalence of 16.7%.

Jane Atuhairwe, Pearl Bank’s branch business manager, said the investment aligns with the bank’s Corporate Social Investment pillar on health. “Supporting this initiative presents an opportunity for the bank to actively participate in national efforts to demystify sickle cell disease, promote early diagnosis and linkage to care, reduce stigma, and strengthen psychosocial support for affected individuals and their families,” she said, relaying remarks from Priscilla Akora, the bank’s head of marketing and communications.

Akora said the bank’s involvement gives the fundraising campaign “a strategic platform to amplify… public awareness, and mobilize support” for expanding access to treatment. The bank has set up a dedicated account and mobile money channel through Wendi to collect donations alongside JCRC’s own fundraising infrastructure.

Pearl Bank positioned the commitment within Uganda’s Fourth National Development Plan (NDP IV), which prioritizes socio-economic transformation and improved quality of life. Executives said expanding access to specialized treatments like the planned BMT Centre supports that goal by reducing long-term healthcare costs and strengthening the productivity of vulnerable communities — patients and caregivers alike, who often face lost income while traveling abroad for treatment unavailable in Uganda.

JCRC Executive Director Dr. Cissy Kityo said the Lubowa campus project is in its early stages, with current work focused on capacity building, infrastructure development and foundational research. The centre adds to JCRC’s existing Red Blood Cell Exchange unit, which manages severe sickle cell complications in children and adults.

For Pearl Bank, the partnership also reinforces a public-facing health investment strategy at a time when local banks are increasingly competing on corporate social responsibility credentials. The bank’s pledge follows its participation in the campaign’s Kampala launch earlier in the year, suggesting a sustained, multi-phase commitment rather than a one-off donation.

The Ministry of Health, represented by Director of Public Health Dr. Daniel Kyabayinze, pledged continued government support for sickle cell research and nationwide newborn screening, signaling potential public-private alignment as the BMT Centre moves toward development.