Panic as Kabale hospital oxygen plant breaks down

By Moses Agaba

Kabale Regional Referral Hospital is struggling to offer good health services after its two oxygen processing plants broke down two months ago.

Dr Philbert Nyeko the Kabale Regional referral Hospital Director says that the two oxygen processing plants broke down two months ago as now they are struggling in getting oxygen Says that as the hospital they are sending Ugx 5m to purchase and transport over 300 cylinders oxygen from Kampala compared to the two oxygen plant if they are repaired they would save it

Dr Nyeko says that the use of oxygen the hospital has increased not because of the covid 19 cases that had reemerged at the beginning of the year but increased number of patients who required specialized treatment.

He says that the absence of oxygen means a lot to the patients and the health workers who attend to them as he asks the government to operationalize the oxygen processing plant that was constructed by the UPDF engineering brigade at the hospital year as well it repairs the two that broke down as this would save the health facility from heavy expenses incurred as well not put the patients at risk.

According to the records the old oxygen processing plant that was constructed by the ministry of health at the regional referral hospital was producing enough oxygen to fill about 35 big oxygen cylinders per day while one donated by UNICEF has been producing about 72 cylinders of the same size per day.

Last week Dr Marion Namutebi a senior physician at the hospital said that 5 covid 19 patients who were admitted in the intensive e care unit needed oxygen.

Kabale Regional referral hospital serves over a population of 2 million as it covers the districts of Kabale, Rubanda, Rukiga Kanungu, Rukungiri parts of Ntungamo neighboring countries Rwanda and democratic republic of Congo .