Uganda Lacks Medical Oxygen as Hospitals Overwhelmed by COVID-19

Uganda is running short of medical oxygen as the east African country grapples with the ravaging Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, an official has said.

Diana Atwine, Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of health, said in an interview with local media that there was a high demand of oxygen due to the surge in numbers of Coronavirus (COVID-19) patients in High Dependency Units and Intensive Care Units (ICU) across the country.

“Yes, it is true we have shortage of oxygen in the country, and that is why we are trying to get more oxygen plants.’’

Local media reported over the weekend that medical oxygen was running out in several districts across the country amid the second wave of the novel coronavirus in the country.

“We are working on the procurement of more (oxygen) plants, possibly 10 that can give us huge amounts of oxygen at a go.

“However that is quite a journey,” Atwine said.

Meanwhile, Godfrey Baterana, executive director of Mulago National Referral Hospital in the capital, the demand of oxygen by COVID-19 patients had outpaced oxygen plants manufacturing capacity.

“You find (a COVID-19) patient requiring 70 liters of oxygen per minute and yet a normal patient in a normal ICU requires between one and ten,” Baterana said.

As of Monday, Uganda had registered 63,099 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 434 deaths, according to official data.