Gulu Regional Referral Hospital has turned to St Mary`s Hospital Lacor due to the shortages and intermittent supply of oxygen at the facility.
James Elima, the Gulu Regional Referral Hospital Administrator disclosed that they have opted to refill its medical oxygen cylinders for patients in critical conditions from the Catholic owned St Mary`s Hospital Lacor in Gulu City as they battle inconsistent supplies due to intermittent power supply and inadequacy.
Elima said on Saturday that there are currently eleven patients at the COVID-19 Treatment Unit who require consistent and adequate supply of oxygen yet sometimes the hospital fails to supply the needed oxygen due to power inconsistency to run the oxygen production plant as well as faulty condition of the oxygen production plant which is even on the verge of breaking down.
He added that the hospital which is basically Northern Uganda’s health backbone receives overwhelming numbers of patients requiring oxygen adding that the demand has doubled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Left with no options, Elima says that they are currently getting assistance from the privately owned St Mary`s Hospital Lacor whenever they have shortages in supplies.
Each patient in ICU currently is consuming between 60 to 80 litres of oxygen per minute, this is much higher than patients with other illnesses who consume averagely only one to five litres per minute.
On Saturday the Members of Parliament for Kilak North Anthony Akol in Amuru district and Martin Ojara Mapenduzi for Layibi-Bardege division in Gulu City donated three oxygen concentrators to Gulu Regional Referral Hospital to boost its oxygen supply.
Mapenduzi disclosed that the donation valued at forty-five million shillings was with support from Harree and Indoor African Charitable Society.
During the donation, Mapenduzi urged all well-wishers and members of the public to wholeheartedly support the fight against COVID-19 with whatever they can afford citing that the situation in the country is getting out of hand.
Anthony Akol on the other hand asked members of the public to follow the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and health ministry guidelines in order to wipe out COVID-19 from the country.
As of Friday, Gulu Regional Referral Hospital COVID-19 Treatment Unit had eleven patients in critical condition.
Uganda cumulatively has 68,779 and 584 confirmed COVID-19 cases and deaths respectively.
