Gulu District mourns Dr. Okello Oyok

By Dennis Ojwee

Gulu District is mourning the death of a senior psychiatrist and lecturer, Dr. Thomas Okello Oyok.
 

Dr. Okello Oyok, 63, son of the late Col. Oyok of Omia-nyima in Kitgum district passed on after he succumbed to diabetes and high blood pressure that reportedly led to kidneys failure at St. Mary’s Hospital Lacor in Gulu municipality on Wednesday dawn, according to medical sources.
 

Dr. Okello-Oyok is the third senior academician Gulu University is losing after Richard Rackara (department of Business Administration) and Balaam Nyeko Otim (Head of Sports Science) since June.

The Medical Superintendent of Gulu Regional Referral hospital, Dr. Nathan Onyachi said Dr. Oyok’s condition could have worsened with too much stress since he lost his wife the same year he retired from hospital work in the year 2012.

Dr. Onyachi said Dr. Oyok retired when he had served as the Head of Department of Mental Health at GRRH since 2011 after he had completed his Master’s Degree in Psychiatry.

“Dr. Oyok’s condition could have escalated due to lack of companionship after his wife died in 2012 since he had been battling with a long illnesses of diabetes and high-blood pressure (hypertention). And he died of kidney failure according to the medical doctors at Lacor hospital”, said Dr. Onyachi.

A senior staff in the psychiatry department at GRRH, William Odur who worked tirelessly with the late Dr. Oyok described him as a dedicated medical doctor, self-motivated officer, very professional, a co-operative consultant psychiatrist doctor who shall be deeply missed.

Odur further described Dr. Oyok as a mentor of all the medical doctors in the psychiatry department at GRRH even after he had retired from active service.

Dr. Oyok attended primary education at the Army Children’s School in Jinja before he joined Namilyango College.

Gulu University Public Relations Officer Mohamad Khalid said Dr. Oyok had been Honorary Lecturer at the University although working at Gulu Regional Referral hospital.

Khalid said Dr. Oyok was appointed full senior lecturer on contract at Gulu University in the Faculty of Medicine in March 2013.

Dr. Oyok is survived by children amongst others, Peter Awona, a computer Scientist from Gulu University.

His son, Awona said the body of Dr. Oyok is expected to be laid to rest at his ancestral home at Omia-nyima sub-county in Kitgum district on Tuesday, August 12 after a requiem mass at Watoto Pentecostal Church in Gulu on Monday.