Ruparelia group has this morning clarified that Victoria Hospital isn’t one of their companies and have no idea about the motive of such ‘concoctions’ connecting him to the company.
Several media reports had since linked the Bukoto-based hospital to Sudhir’s Ruparelia Group. The reports also claimed that the same Hospital had won a contract to be the sole facility to conduct body organ examination of all Ugandans going to Arab countries for employment and their arrival from the same.
However, according to the statement released this morning, Ruparelia group has clarified that the said Hospital isn’t one of their companies and have no idea about the motive of such ‘concoctions’ connecting him to the company.
“For Immediate Release
Dated Sunday, 26th June 2022.
Re: Clarification On Victoria Hospital Ownership
Our attention has been drawn by several online media publications linking the above business entity to Ruparelia group of companies. For clarity, the above mentioned business entity is not part of Ruparelia group of companies, and has never been.
We appreciate the media for bringing this to our attention, but we also urge them to always verify information before writing. In this case, the correct information about the ownership of Victoria Hospital could have been sought from Uganda registration services Bureau (URSB).
Yours sincerely
Management
Ruparelia Group”
Infact, the above press release follows another statement Sudhir made this week disowning the hospital and reports claiming that it is his.
“Ruparelia group has never been involved with Victoria Hospital nor what is now known as UMC hospital. Stop this propaganda,” he stated this week.
Background
In May, Internal Affairs minister, Maj Gen (Rtd) Kahinda Otafiire, directed all labour export firms to take their clients to UMC Victoria hospital for body organ testing before going abroad for greener pastures. This was to minimize cases of the illegal internal tissue extraction.
However, labour export companies under their association of Uganda Association of the External Recruitment Agencies (UAERA), through their chairperson Baker Akantambira, petitioned the Minister of Gender Labour and Social Development, Betty Amongi complaining about the new development insisting the hospital’s actions were illegal.
In response to Akantambira’s petition, Amongi told Otafiire to get back in his line of duty and stop meandering in her lane. She noted that her ministry is the one responsible for negotiations and regulating migrant workers in the country.
Amongi told Otafiire that her ministry had already signed several agreements with the Gulf Cooperation Council which is responsible with supervising all workers seeking employment abroad especially in Arab countries.
She further revealed that during the signing of the agreement with Gulf Cooperation Council, a list of selected hospitals were assigned to test internal organs of workers.
Amongi told Otafiire that he cannot just come up and all of a sudden recommend only UMC Victoria hospital.
