MRRH serves the catchment area of twelve (12) districts including Mbarara city but due to the wide range of specialized and super-specialized services offered, the hospital serves as a referral center for the whole region and neighboring countries such as Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Rwanda, Tanzania, and Burundi.

[1] This is approximately 268 kilometres (167 mi), by road, southwest of Mulago National Referral Hospital, in Kampala, the capital city of Uganda.

[citation needed] Its bed capacity is 600, although, as is the case with many Ugandan public hospitals, many more patients are admitted, with the excess sleeping on the floors.

The physical works were undertaken by the Excel Construction Company, a subsidiary of the Madhvani Group.

[6] In June 2024, construction began on a new 100-bed, stand-alone, four story, neonatal intensive care unit at a cost of US$1.9 million, donated by the World Bank.