By LBS Editorial
LIRA
The covid-19 intensive care unit at Lira regional referral hospital is operating with a limited number of professionals to operate equipment in the unit.
The treatment unit which has a 30-bed capacity is manned by a team of three doctors, eight nurses and other six support staff.
On Wednesday, the parliamentary covid-19 task force attached to Northern Uganda started their visit to the Lango sub-region with a tour of the covid-19 treatment unit at Lira regional referral hospital and the oxygen plant.
The team that is headed by the Koboko Municipality Member of Parliament Dr. Charles Ayume is to oversee covid-19 interventions and how the Lango sub-region is enforcing the standard operating procedures.
The in charge of the treatment unit Dr. Francis Kiwewa told the task force members that the facility has been facing several challenges like inadequate personal protective equipment especially the facemasks, drugs, inadequate resources and human resources to manage the patients.
Currently, the unit has admitted 13 patients with 3 on oxygen. Cumulatively, the facility has so far managed 945 patients and registered 37 deaths since the outbreak of coronavirus with more cases registered during the second wave.
The senior principal nursing officer Sr. Pollah Judith Namrimu said Lira regional referral hospital has 91 functional oxygen cylinders to support covid-19 patients in critical condition.
She , however, noted that they lack an anthologist to run the intensive care unit beds much as some nurses were trained on ICU management.
The hospital administrator Dr. Stepehn Obbo concurred that they are challenged by the lack of qualified personnel to mane the ICU facility which was installed by the ministry of health last year to manage severer covid-19 conditions.
