By Steven Enatu
SOROTI CITY
The Joint Medical Stores have donated two multi-purpose lifesaving universal anesthesia machines worth Shs200million to Soroti Regional referral hospital.
The multipurpose machines that are used in the theater for monitoring and helping in supporting breathing for a patient undergoing surgery and can be used without power were handed over to SRRH on Thursday, 16th November, 2023.
Pellins Byamaka, the biomedical Engineer at Joint Medical Stores says the machines were developed for facilities that have difficulties accessing medical oxygen and highly trained staff.
He said the machines have the capacity to generate their own oxygen because of the inbuilt oxygen concentrator and uses low pressure meaning it consumes less oxygen while saving lives. The machines have patients monitor and ventilator.
Dr. Joseph Epodoi, Senior consultant surgeon neurologist at Soroti Regional referral hospital said Joint Medical Stores have always supplied the facility with quality machines and trained personnel to handle and maintain such machines.
He said the machines have come handy to Soroti Regional referral hospital that conducts 1500 major surgeries and nearly 10,000 minor surgeries in a year.
Soroti Regional referral hospital is well known and trusted in surgical operations following the separation of the Siamese twins at Soroti hospital after Mulago turning the mother away in 2021.
Despites its dilapidated outlook in terms of infrastructure, the hospital has achieved a lot in terms of Surgery.
Dr. Epodoi added that with the enhanced capacity of the anesthesia machines, patients especially children and those other patients with hypertension will sleep safely as surgery is being conducted.
“We had these machines but some broke down and only one was working. With these two, we shall be having three anesthesia machines,” he said.
Dr. Emmanuel Higenyi, the technical director of Joint Medical Stores said they have distributed over 200 machines of the same type in a space of 9 years across different facilities in the country.
He added that the Joint Medical Stores doesn’t end only in giving the machines but will also build capacity of people who administer the anesthesia and those who support in the surgical process beginning Monday, next week.
Higenyi said Soroti regional hospital was chosen because of its catchment population that covers the entire region.
“So through this donation, we believe that we are going to touch the lives of so many and make sure that those who could not be saved will be saved now,” he said.
Without the Anesthesia machines, the patients undergoing surgery may develop irreversible damage and can lead to death.
Dr. Higenyi noted that Joint Medical Stores plan to expand their reach to even district hospitals as the first point for minor operations.
