Lira Hospital unveils sh2b paediatric theatre, advanced neonatal unit
The fully equipped paediatric surgical theatre, Odongo said, will go a long way in improving care for children not only in Lango but across the northern region and even parts of the eastern region.
Bishop Prof. Olwa, partners and Health Ministry officials cut the ribbon as they unveil the newly established Pediatric surgical theatre at Lira Hospital on Thursday. (Photos by Joseph Ekol)
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Lira Regional Referral Hospital has commissioned a sh2 billion paediatric surgical theatre and a Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).
The state-of-the-art facilities, which are expected to improve specialised healthcare for newborns and children in Lango and the northern region while reducing referrals, were unveiled on July 9, 2026.
According to Dr Newton Odongo, a paediatric surgeon at Lira Hospital, the facility receives more than 50 paediatric cases every week. However, they previously managed to operate on only about 15 because they had to share the theatre with other departments.
The fully equipped paediatric surgical theatre, he said, will go a long way in improving care for children not only in Lango but across the northern region and even parts of the eastern region.
Dr Ritah Waddimba, the country director of Pathfinder International-Uganda, said the facilities were established with funding from the United Kingdom government under the Empower Programme, a project aimed at empowering women through better reproductive healthcare.
Lango Diocese Bishop Prof. Olwa and other dignitaries inspecting the newly established Pediatric surgical theatre at Lira Hospital after commissioning on Thursday.
Dr Waddimba said the initiative aims to save the lives of children, noting that one in every 45 newborns dies within the first 28 days of life and that most of these deaths are preventable. She said the Empower Programme was designed to address this challenge.
She said that, working with the Ministry of Health, the programme has contracted partners who procured the equipment and will train personnel to maintain it for two years before fully handing it over to the Government of Uganda.
She thanked the Ministry of Health and Lira Hospital for allowing the partnership, adding that the organisation has also trained health workers to support the recovery of newborns and will continue supporting reproductive healthcare despite funding cuts.
Dr Bagala said that although the country has made significant progress over the past five years in reducing the maternal mortality rate from 336 to 189 per 100,000 live births, the government aims to reduce it to 42 by 2030. However, he noted that newborn mortality remains a major challenge.
He urged the hospital to make proper use of the facilities so that they benefit the people of the Lango region and reduce referrals to Kampala for specialised child healthcare services.
The acting hospital director, Dr Andrew Odur, appealed to district local governments in Lango to publicise the facilities so communities can take advantage of them.
Dr Brian Agaba, deputy country director of Seeds Global Health, Ronald Ssejjuuko, executive director of Love Without Boundaries, and Dr John Ssekabira, deputy executive director of Mulago National Referral Hospital, were among the partners who witnessed the commissioning of the facility. The event began with prayers and a brief sermon by Lango Diocese Anglican Bishop Prof. Alfred Olwa.
On behalf of the Government of Uganda, Lira resident city commissioner Lawrence Egole thanked the partners for providing the facilities, equipment and technical support, not only in Lira but elsewhere in the country.
He said the two facilities would transform children's healthcare in the Lango region, where children with emergency conditions such as birth defects were previously referred to Kampala, often resulting in loss of life and unnecessary expenditure.