UPDF Supplies medical oxygen as COVID-19 cases spiral

KAMPALA — The Ugandan army has started producing oxygen for state-run hospitals to ease the burden of the existing plants as COVID-19 cases keep rising, an army spokesperson said Sunday.

The army’s commercial arm, the National Enterprise Corporation, has started supplying oxygen cylinders to a number of military- or government-run hospitals, Brig-Gen Flavia Byekwaso, spokesperson for the Uganda People’s Defense Forces,

Bombo Military Hospital has started receiving oxygen cylinders and Mulago National Referral Hospital has also placed orders, Byekwaso said.

“And we continue getting orders from other government hospitals. We are ready to supply all of them,” she added.

Byekwaso did not rule out supplying oxygen to private hospitals but said authorities were yet to decide on the mode of transaction.

The supply came after media reports that medical oxygen were running out in some districts.

Local media reported Saturday that the greater Masaka sub-region of the central district of Masaka was facing a serious oxygen crisis after the only oxygen manufacturing plant at Masaka Regional Referral Hospital broke down.

The Ministry of Health said Saturday that the country’s COVID-19 tally has reached 60,250 after 1,735 new infections were reported. The death toll stood at 423 as another 15 people lost their lives to the virus.