Lira Regional Referral Hospital Secures UGX 4.8b for Staff Recruitment
By Our Reporter
Lira Regional Referral Hospital has secured an additional UGX 4.8 billion to facilitate the recruitment of over 100 new staff in the 2026/2027 financial year.
The Hospital Director, Dr. Andrew Odur, made the announcement on Wednesday, 8th April 2026, during the State of the Hospital Address at the 156th sitting of the LRR Hospital Parliament, held in the administration block boardroom.
Dr. Odur noted that the funds will support the recruitment of a wide range of health professionals, including consultants, associate consultants, nurses, midwives, allied health workers and common cadres. This support is expected to significantly boost staffing levels from the current 320 to nearly 420 personnel.
“In the next financial year, we are going to recruit more than 100 staff following the allocation of an additional UGX 4.8 billion for recruitment,” Dr. Odur stated.
He further outlined key unfunded priorities for the hospital remain expanding ward space through a new ward complex, reclamation of 10.4 acres of encroached hospital land, completion of the hospital fencing, and construction of a big store to keep medicines and other health supplies.
On specialized healthcare services, Dr. Odur revealed that the hospital is strengthening capacity to offer advanced care in areas such as fertility treatment, neonatology, cardiology, neurotrauma, pediatric surgery, endoscopy and minimal access surgery.
He said the ongoing projects set for completion before the end of the current financial year include the extension of the private wing, renovation of the eye department and remodeling, paving of part of Police Road, equipping of the theatre, and construction of canopies along major walkways within the hospital.
Reflecting on the past year, Dr. Odur highlighted several achievements, including the construction of a fully-fledged satellite laboratory now internationally accredited by SANAS, expansion of a 45-bed gynecology ward, operationalization of the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), and the successful performance of 174 head surgeries of accident and stroke patients under neurotrauma program
However, he raised concern over the high disease burden recorded, including 7,592 malaria cases, 1,742 urinary tract infections, and 1,038 sickle cell disease cases.
In his closing remarks, the Speaker of the Hospital Parliament, Dr. Bosco Omongo, urged hospital leadership to engage the Ministries of Health and Finance to secure additional funding to support the hospital’s upgrade, especially if Lira City is to host the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in 2027.
Dr. Omongo also emphasized the urgent need for the construction of a city mortuary, noting that the current facility at the hospital is overwhelmed, with a capacity of only 12 bodies at a time.
