Parliament Raises Concern Over Idle Multi-Billion Oxygen Plants in Regional Hospitals

A parliamentary committee has expressed deep concern over several non-functional oxygen plants across regional referral hospitals, leaving crucial medical facilities struggling with redundancy.

According to a report presented by the Deputy Chairperson of the Committee on Public Accounts (Central Government), Hon. Sarah Lwansasula, oxygen plants valued at billions of shillings in Moroto, Yumbe, and Soroti have produced little to no oxygen. The report, which reviewed the Auditor General’s findings for the period ending December 31, 2025, highlighted severe contract management failures.

In Moroto, two oxygen plants worth Shs3.72 billion have remained idle for three years. This delay stems from unfinished infrastructure works that were assigned to the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) Engineering Brigade by the Ministry of Health back in July 2022. Similarly, the Yumbe oxygen plant, valued at Shs3.727 billion, remains incomplete with an abandoned site and damaged equipment. Soroti Regional Referral Hospital faces similar challenges, with two out of its three plants non-operational due to handover delays and expired centralized service contracts.

The committee recommended that the Ministry of Health and the UPDF Engineering Brigade expedite the completion and handover of these vital facilities within 60 days.

Beyond oxygen supply issues, the committee’s findings also exposed widespread delays in medical deliveries by the National Medical Stores (NMS), alongside critical medicine stock-outs and expiries in several hospitals. Soroti hospital notably suffered a 400-day stock-out of critical second-line antiretroviral medication. Lawmakers have tasked NMS to improve its delivery performance and urged the health ministry to establish better redistribution systems to prevent medicine expiries.

Read the full details of the parliamentary report on the Parliament of Uganda Source URL.