Lawmakers applaud Lira regional referral hospital for quality health care

The Members of the 12th Parliament on the Public Accounts Committee (PAC Central) have commended Lira Regional Referral Hospital for high budget performance, high absorption rate which stands at 97 per cent, and provision of enhanced quality health care to the citizens.

In the financial year 2024/2025, Parliament allocated shs18 billion to Lira Regional Referral Hospital. Today, the hospital has a bed capacity of 456 and serves 10 districts in the Lango sub-region with a population of close to 3 million people.

The hospital’s top management led by Hospital Director Dr Andrew Odur who is also the Accounting Officer, appeared before the PAC Committee on Thursday March 19, 2026.

The committee was chaired by MP Gorreth Namugga. Dr Odur responded to queries raised in the Auditor General’s report for the 2024/2025 financial year.

Namugga says it’s commendable that Lira regional referral hospital is meeting all its statutory obligations and ensuring budget absorption of up to 97 per cent.

“Director and your team, I want to commend Lira Regional Referral Hospital for this high budget absorption rate, meeting all statutory obligations is important. You are doing well at 97 per cent.”

Next time, she wants Dr Odur and his team to improve and be at 100 per cent.

PAC members were also happy with the hospital leadership for the increased quality health care services to the citizenry.

Also read: Lira regional hospital records 8,400 annual deliveries as new fistula ward opens

“In other places, there is a lot of corruption, people told us there are no free services including delivery, but I want to thank you for offering free services to our people,” Namugga added.

The committee also applauded the hospital for increasing its revenue collection through the private wing service which nearly doubled in one year: from shs335m to shs650m significantly contributing to the consolidated account.

The hospital director requested that Parliament increase funds to the hospital to construct a complex structure to address the ever-increasing patient numbers.

Dr Odur also informed Parliament about the hospital’s strategic plans which include; increasing the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) bed capacity from the current 3 to 10, and procuring five more dialysis machines.

Other plans include increasing the neonatal unit’s bed capacity from 30 to 60 and constructing new storage capacity.