The harsh weather and unfamiliar food in New Delhi, India, took a toll on Diana Namubiru Ssewanyana. She sat alone after spending weeks negotiating treatment costs for Ugandan families fighting to save their lives at Max Super Speciality Hospital.
As a senior figure in Uganda's health insurance sector, Diana often travelled across countries to help patients access specialised care. She negotiated hospital partnerships, identified leading centres for complex procedures, and secured treatment options for insurers.
Yet the repeated sight of Ugandans seeking treatment abroad troubled her deeply. Families left home with hope, only to face loneliness, culture shock and significant financial strain.
“People back home think going outside the country for treatment is glamorous," she says. “It is not. The culture shock alone can break you."
That day brought everything she had witnessed into sharp focus. After returning from the hospital, she turned to prayer.
“God, please give us hospitals. This cannot continue."
What she did not know was that the answer to that prayer was already taking shape.
When she returned to Uganda, a team from Aga Khan University Hospital approached her for advice on the country's healthcare system and shared plans to establish a hospital. As discussions continued, it became clear they also wanted her to join them.
She was not interested.
Having built a successful career at some of Uganda's leading healthcare institutions, she saw little appeal in joining an organisation that at the time operated only a handful of clinics.
“You're taking me way lower than I have been," she told them honestly.
But she could not ignore what she had seen. Too many Ugandan families were exhausting every option simply to access specialised treatment elsewhere. Gradually, she realised the country needed quality care within reach.
Eventually, she said yes.
What followed was not easy. A journey expected to take a few years stretched into nearly a decade, marked by delays and setbacks. At times, even those closest to the project questioned whether it would ever become a reality.
Diana understood the doubts. Yet she could not let go of the vision that had first taken root in New Delhi. While others saw reasons to give up, she saw reasons to keep believing.
“I saw every reason for it not to happen, but for my people, I could not walk away. I stayed."
Today, the Aga Khan University Hospital Nakawa Specialty Centre stands as a reflection of that belief, a dream becoming reality for Ugandans who once struggled to access specialised care without travelling abroad. The facility provides services in oncology, neurology, nephrology, endocrinology, haematology, orthopaedics and more.
For Diana, however, this is only part of the story.
The broader vision continues through the development of the future Aga Khan University Hospital, Kampala, expected around 2028. Once completed, it will offer inpatient care, surgery, paediatrics, critical care and training for the next generation of healthcare professionals.
As Senior Manager for Operations and Business Development at AKUH Nakawa Specialty Centre, Diana has helped lay the foundation for that future, guided by a simple conviction: people should not have to leave their country to find hope and healing.
Born in transit as her family relocated from Uganda to Kenya, Diana entered the world at Mbale Regional Referral Hospital in eastern Uganda. It seems fitting that someone whose life began on a journey has dedicated her career to ensuring others can find quality care closer to home.
