From hospital wards to wellness studios, sisters Dr. Amanda and Philippa Mbonye are reimagining their family’s medical legacy — championing a new era of healthcare in Uganda that focuses not just on curing disease, but preventing it through lifestyle, wellness, and community.
Born into one of Uganda’s most distinguished medical families, Dr. Amanda Mbonye and Philippa Mbonye have never been far from medicine. Their parents, Dr. Ben and Dr. Julienne Mbonye, are the co-founders of Nakasero Hospital, a flagship institution in Uganda’s private healthcare sector.
For more than two decades, the elder Mbonye doctors have been known for their pioneering work in specialist care, their commitment to patient dignity, and their role in shaping modern medical practice in the country.
Amanda and Philippa grew up in the thick of that world, surrounded by doctors, hospital corridors, and the conversations that built one of Uganda’s most iconic health facilities.
Yet, instead of simply replicating the hospital model, the two sisters chose to explore new territory. In 2022, they launched Revive Wellness Centre, a facility dedicated to lifestyle medicine, cardiovascular prevention, and holistic wellness.
Their work signals a generational shift: from hospital-based curative care to preventive and lifestyle-driven health. Where their parents built a hospital to treat disease, Dr. Amanda and Philippa are building a movement to prevent it before it starts.
A new frontier for a medical legacy
Revive Wellness Centre opened its doors in December 2022 with a clear mission: to bridge the gap between curative medicine and everyday health.
Services range from intravenous vitamin drips and in-depth health screenings to lifestyle consultations, body composition analysis, and fitness classes. The sisters wanted to create a space where Ugandans could learn to live healthier, longer lives through prevention, not just cure.
For Dr. Amanda Kamatamu Mbonye, this mission is the natural evolution of her career. Currently a cardiology specialist registrar at Barts Heart Centre in the UK, Amanda’s clinical focus is on cardiovascular disease prevention and research into modifiable risk factors.
A graduate of the University of Leeds with a Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery, she has trained extensively across some of London’s leading hospitals, including St Bartholomew’s, the Royal London, and Homerton University Hospital.
She also holds a Postgraduate Certificate in Education for Clinical Contexts from Queen Mary University of London and is a Member of the Royal College of Physicians (UK).
Years of cardiology practice showed her how many ailments—particularly cardiovascular ones—could be prevented through lifestyle change. Poor diets, smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, and lack of exercise were common threads in patient histories.
“It became clear that hospitals should focus on the unavoidable and complex cases, while wellness centres could help people avoid preventable diseases,” she reflects.
Her international training and dual exposure to public and private systems have shaped her conviction that prevention is the most powerful form of medicine.
Governance streamlined
Philippa’s background complements her sister’s clinical expertise with strategic and operational leadership honed across healthcare and finance. With over 16 years of international experience spanning East and Southern Africa, Canada, and the UK, she is a seasoned executive who has navigated both hospital corridors and corporate boardrooms.
As Chief Operating Officer at Nakasero Hospital for eight years, she oversaw the growth of one of Uganda’s premier medical institutions. She later moved to Kenya to serve as Group Operations Director at HHI, managing integrated healthcare services across Eastern Africa, and then entered the FinTech space as Managing Director for FNZ’s Micro Savings and Investments Platform in the Rest of Africa.
Her governance credentials include board roles at Kweli Capital and CEED Uganda, and her academic grounding—a Bachelor of Commerce in Management Information Systems (Carleton University), a Master’s in Economics and Finance (University of Edinburgh), and an Executive Healthcare Management Program (Strathmore Business School)—equip her to balance mission with market realities.
“We knew that to succeed, Revive had to be more than a wellness spa. It had to be a credible medical centre that delivered real value while remaining financially viable,” she explains.
Together, the sisters envisioned a wellness hub that was both scientifically grounded and accessible to the public.
Building Revive Wellness Centre
Launching Revive Wellness Centre was far from straightforward. With Dr. Amanda still based in the UK, much of the early work—from recruitment to operations—had to be done remotely.
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That sabbatical now sees her splitting time between Revive Wellness Centre, Nakasero Hospital, and the Uganda Heart Institute, where she also participates in a partnership with London’s Barts Heart Centre. The mix of public, private, and entrepreneurial work has given her a rounded view of Uganda’s healthcare landscape.
Philippa, meanwhile, balances her role in Nairobi with strategic oversight at Revive. Her operational background, especially in scaling hospitals, helped them avoid common pitfalls.
What Revive Wellness Centre offers
At its core, Revive Wellness Centre focuses on prevention and lifestyle modification. Every client undergoes a basic health screening that includes blood pressure, sugar levels, and body mass index.
For deeper insights, they use a body composition analyser that estimates muscle mass, fat percentage, and even physiological versus chronological age.
The centre also provides lifestyle consultations, guiding clients on changes to improve cholesterol, thyroid, sleep, or mental health through diet, exercise, and behaviour modification.
For those struggling with deficiencies or absorption challenges, vitamin IV drips are administered—using baby-sized needles for comfort. Nurses are trained not only to administer treatments but also to detect opportunistic conditions during screenings.
To keep clients engaged, the centre organises fitness classes and lifestyle events that address issues linked to non-communicable diseases. In June, during Men’s Mental Health Month, the centre hosted a 5K run followed by a panel discussion on men’s mental health, blending physical activity with dialogue and medical advice.
Beyond the walls of the centre, Revive builds community through a WhatsApp group and a monthly newsletter, sharing practical health tips, blogs, and updates.
Challenges, lessons, and wins
Like any entrepreneurial journey, the path has been marked by challenges. Dr. Amanda admits she initially underestimated the importance of business acumen, believing her medical expertise would be enough. Philippa’s intervention brought balance, steering the centre towards financial discipline and structured growth.
Staffing was another hurdle. Recruiting largely through goodwill and referrals meant not every employee initially understood the centre’s mission. Dr. Amanda’s return to Uganda was partly motivated by the need to instil that vision firsthand.
Despite these challenges, the sisters have achieved several notable successes, including a growing and diverse client base, financial self-sufficiency, and a motivated team. Public perception has shifted, with wellness now better understood as a holistic lifestyle.
A family legacy evolving
The Mbonye sisters’ story cannot be told without acknowledging their roots. Their parents, Dr. Ben Mbonye (a respected physician and healthcare entrepreneur) and Dr. Julienne Mbonye (a trailblazing gynaecologist), have spent their careers expanding access to quality medical care in Uganda.
From the Medical Specialist Centre to the founding of Nakasero Hospital, they pioneered patient-centred, dignified care in modern facilities.
It is this legacy — of service, compassion, and innovation — that Dr. Amanda and Philippa now carry forward, albeit in a different form. “Our parents built hospitals. We are building a movement around wellness,” Amanda says, summing up the generational transition.
Looking ahead
Revive Wellness Centre is still young, but its trajectory is promising. With Uganda grappling with rising lifestyle-related diseases, the need for prevention has never been greater.
The sisters believe their blend of clinical expertise, management experience, and family legacy uniquely positions them to champion this cause.
As the Mbonye name transitions from hospital corridors to wellness studios, one thing remains constant: a commitment to raising the standard of healthcare in Uganda
