Lira, Uganda | Lira Regional Referral Hospital has called for urgent expansion of infrastructure and staffing capacity as the facility struggles to manage an increasing number of patients seeking specialised healthcare services.
Speaking during the hospital’s Baraza held at the facility grounds on Thursday, July 30, 2026, Hospital Director Dr Andrew Odur said the hospital receives about 1,000 patients every day, a workload he said requires expansion of lower-level health facilities and additional infrastructure to ease pressure on the regional referral facility.
Dr Odur said upgrading Health Centre IVs in neighbouring districts into district hospitals would help provide services closer to communities and reduce unnecessary referrals to Lira Regional Referral Hospital.
“We need to decongest this hospital because the numbers are increasing daily. The nearby Health Centre IVs need support and upgrading so they can handle more patients,” he said.
He also appealed to the Ministry of Health to consider constructing an additional complex at the hospital to accommodate the growing number of patients.
The director revealed that the hospital currently has five dialysis machines, which serve about 15 patients daily, but the demand has increased because patients are coming from Lango, Karamoja, Teso and parts of Northern Uganda, including West Nile.
He called for more dialysis machines to enable the facility to serve more patients requiring kidney care.
Dr Odur also disclosed that the Health Service Commission is expected to deploy a psychiatric specialist to the hospital, adding that Lira Regional Referral Hospital is targeting 35 specialists by the end of the financial year.
He said the facility will recruit 153 additional staff this financial year to strengthen service delivery.
The hospital director raised concern over increasing teenage pregnancies in Lango, saying the sub-region is recording some of the highest rates in the country.
He also cited rising road traffic accidents as another growing challenge putting pressure on health services.
Dr Odur assured the public that hospital staff remain committed to improving services and encouraged patients with complaints to seek redress from his office instead of rushing to media platforms.
The Baraza also provided an opportunity for the hospital to account for issues raised during the previous engagement in December 2025.
Dr Odur said 30 staff members had since been trained in sign language interpretation to improve communication with patients with hearing impairments. He added that language barriers had been addressed by encouraging health workers to seek assistance from colleagues who speak Lango when needed.
He said the hospital’s dental unit at the private wing is still being established and that the facility has received a new endoscopy machine to strengthen specialised services.
On complaints over CT scan charges, Dr Odur explained that the fees are standard rates set by the Ministry of Health and apply across government referral hospitals, but vulnerable patients who cannot afford the service are supported through internal arrangements.
The Ministry of Health representative, Dr Bagala John Paul, who represented the Director General of Health Services, said Barazas will become a routine engagement in public health facilities to allow communities to provide feedback and enable government to address service delivery gaps.
Dr Bagala urged health workers to improve professionalism, avoid absenteeism, and stop demanding money from patients, warning that extortion undermines public trust in government health facilities.
He also said government had increased funding for recruitment, medicines and supplies, urging facilities to ensure available resources benefit patients.
Lira City Resident Commissioner Lawrence Egole, who was chief guest, commended the hospital’s transformation into a referral centre serving communities beyond Lango.
Egole said the facility now handles complex medical cases and attracts patients from neighbouring regions due to improved specialised services.
He urged health workers to prioritise compassion, punctuality and professionalism, saying patients should be treated with dignity.
“Treat every patient as though they were your mother,” Egole told health workers, while warning against corruption and misuse of government resources.
He also called on patients to avoid offering bribes and instead follow established procedures when seeking services.
Community members raised concerns over alleged extortion, delays in service delivery, medicine shortages, disability-friendly services and the sale of face masks at the outpatient department.
In response, Head of OPD Robinson Okabo clarified that face masks sold at the facility are not government supplies but are provided for infection prevention and control, especially to protect patients and health workers from infections such as tuberculosis.
During the engagement, leaders including Lira City officials, Lango Cultural Institution representatives and community members called for continued investment in healthcare infrastructure, roads around the hospital and measures to address teenage pregnancies.
The Baraza also featured the commissioning of the newly upgraded Police Road, which has now become part of the hospital’s access infrastructure.
Lira Regional Referral Hospital has in recent months expanded its specialised services, including maternal health and surgical care, as it positions itself as a major referral centre for Northern Uganda.