By Tolit Ivan
The government through the Ministry of Health has completed the construction of the long awaited modern oxygen plant at Gulu Regional Referral Hospital.
The multi-million oxygen plant has been constructed by the Uganda People’s Defense Forces (UPDF) Engineering Brigade.
Oxygen is crucial for ensuring a continuous, reliable supply of medical-grade oxygen, vital for patients with respiratory conditions or undergoing procedures.
The oxygen plant has a capacity of producing a maximum of 100 cylinders of oxygen a day to sufficiently support patients at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).
Walter Ureyk Wun, the Hospital Principal Hospital Administrator, confirmed the development, saying the completion comes at a time when the hospital was struggling to produce enough oxygen using the old plant constructed in 2016.
According to Ureyk Wun, the old oxygen plant was producing between 30-35 cylinders a day which isn’t enough to serve the region.
Since 20213 Gulu Regional Referral Hospital has been struggling to save the lives of patients in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) due to inadequate oxygen supply.
In 2021, the hospital lost its long-serving senior paediatrician, Dr Milly Grace Arach to covid-19 due to a shortage of oxygen resulting from power blackouts.
Gulu Regional Referral Hospital receives an overwhelming number of patients from the eight districts of Acholi, parts of West Nile and the Lango Sub Region.