Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral hospital has urged all health facilities benefiting from its oxygen supply to contribute to the cost of maintaining the oxygen plant, as the hospital shoulders the full weight of sustaining the infrastructure.
The USAID-funded Reaching Impact, Saturation and Epidemic Control project, implemented by JHPIEGO, handed over the PSA oxygen plant to JOOTRH and the Kisumu government after repair and overhaul servicing.
The revitalised plant marks a major milestone in strengthening the region’s healthcare system and will benefit thousands of patients in Kisumu and beyond.
According to JOOTRH’s chief executive officer Dr Richard Lesiyampe, the hospital now faces a maintenance bill of between Sh7 and Sh10 million annually.
To ensure continued service and reliability, he called upon hospitals to begin cost-sharing from May 1, 2025.
The oxygen produced is not only used by JOORTH but also distributed to 21 other hospitals in the county, necessitating a collaborative approach to sustainability.
Lesiyampe emphasised the importance of acquiring an additional oxygen plant to meet the growing needs in the region, especially in the face of rising disease burdens that require oxygen therapy.
The JHPIEGO team applauded JOOTRH technical staff for their outstanding work and recommended the hospital to continue to enhance the health workers capacity for sustained, effective, and quality healthcare.
They also called for strengthened utilisation of the Oxygen Management Information System to track oxygen consumption and optimise plant operations while enhancing efficiency, accountability and transparency.
On average, JOOTRH supplies oxygen to 90 patients daily, a figure expected to rise with the increasing patient load and referrals from surrounding hospitals.
Lesiyampe expressed his heartfelt appreciation to the USAID RISE project and JHPIEGO for their continued support, expressing optimism for future collaborations aimed at strengthening healthcare delivery across Kisumu and the larger Lake region.
The project has not only ensured a steady supply of medical oxygen but also facilitated knowledge exchange among the clinical and biomedical engineers in JOOTRH.
