Lira Regional Referral Hospital has received modern pediatric theater equipment worth about 500 million Ugandan shillings ($135,000) from Kids Operating Room, a United Kingdom-based charity supporting children’s surgical care.
Hospital officials said the donation will support the operationalization of the facility’s new state-of-the-art children’s surgical ward and improve access to specialized pediatric surgery services in northern Uganda.
The consignment includes operating beds, theater trolleys, operating drums, complete anesthesia machine sets, recovery monitors and chairs for waiting areas.
The hospital is expecting a team of experts from Kids Operating Room to work with local biomedical engineers to install the equipment and ensure its long-term maintenance and sustainability. Officials said the equipment is expected to be fully installed and operational by June 2026.
Dr. Andrew Odur, the acting hospital director, said the donation comes at a critical time as the hospital works to strengthen pediatric surgical services.
“The equipment will greatly enhance patient safety and provide a more conducive working environment for our surgeons and healthcare teams,” Odur said.
According to Odur, the hospital also plans to make the children’s ward more child-friendly to support both recovery and learning for young patients.
Currently, the hospital allocates specific days for different surgical specialties. Pediatric surgeries are conducted on Tuesdays, orthopedic surgeries on Wednesdays and obstetrics and gynecology procedures on Thursdays.
Dr. Charles Newton Odongo, a pediatric surgeon at the hospital, said the new equipment will improve access to specialized pediatric surgical care for children from northern and eastern Uganda, regions with a high burden of pediatric surgical conditions.
Odongo also said the hospital plans to establish fellowship training programs in pediatric surgery to increase the number of specialists in the region and improve child health outcomes.
Hospital officials said Lira Regional Referral Hospital performs about 10,000 surgeries annually, with children accounting for about 25% of all procedures.
Last year alone, more than 3,000 children underwent surgery at the facility through pediatric surgery camps, elective procedures, minor operations and emergency interventions, according to hospital data.
