The oxygen plant at Lira Regional Referral Hospital (LRRH), commissioned in November 2024, is now producing up to 120 medical oxygen cylinders daily, a development that is transforming healthcare delivery in the Lango Sub-region and surrounding districts. Supported by i+solutions and funded through the Global Fund under the Covid-19 Response Mechanism, the plant operates around the clock and represents not only an upgrade in infrastructure but also a renewed sense of hope for a region long challenged by oxygen shortages.

With its new production capacity, Lira Hospital can meet its own oxygen needs while supplying lower-level health facilities in Lango, as well as select districts in Acholi and Teso. The facility features double-capacity technology, allowing it to fill cylinders while simultaneously supplying oxygen directly to the hospital via a modern medical gas piping system.

Local biomedical and technical staff have been trained to operate and carry out first-line maintenance on the plant, reducing reliance on external engineers and ensuring continuous operation.

“Oxygen remains one of the most critically needed resources in any hospital, often referred to as ‘a big and rare medicine which every hospital and every person craves for,’” said Peter Okello Odeke, Principal Hospital Administrator. For years, Lira Hospital depended on the National Medical Stores (NMS) for oxygen, a process that frequently led to intense competition, particularly during medical emergencies like the COVID-19 pandemic.

He noted that the new plant has eased this longstanding challenge. “And it has helped to relieve the people and then the facilities out of this problem,” he said. With the facility now running at full capacity, Lira RRH is positioned not only to meet its own needs but also to serve as a reliable oxygen hub for the wider region.

The hospital is also expanding its human resource capacity. Two new specialists, including an anaesthesiologist, have joined the team, bringing the total number of specialists to 18, with more expected in the near future. “We are progressing, because we have sent two more officers to study issues of neonatology and ICU, so that we can have these services. We are hoping that in the next two years, we shall have over 20 specialities in Lira,” Okello Odeke said, adding that this expansion will better position the hospital to meet the needs of people in the Lango Sub-region.

Despite these milestones, infrastructure challenges remain pressing. Sam Iyuta, a hospital board member, expressed concern over overstretched facilities, particularly the maternity unit, which has had to operate from a tent due to limited space. He stressed that newborns deserve dignified care and adequate shelter.

The board is advocating for the construction of a new ward complex and is calling for collective support, including prayers, to make the project a reality.

The establishment of Lira’s oxygen plant is one of four similar initiatives across Uganda, reflecting a nationwide effort to strengthen the country’s capacity to provide lifesaving oxygen and improve healthcare outcomes.