LIRA CITY, UGANDA – At least 11 children from the Lango and Acholi sub-regions are expected to undergo specialized closed-heart surgeries at Lira Regional Referral Hospital (LRRH) this week, as a team of senior cardiac specialists from the Uganda Heart Institute (UHI) conducts a five-day pediatric surgical camp.
The camp, which began on Monday, April 13, 2026, is scheduled to end on Friday, April 17, 2026. Between Monday and Tuesday alone, surgeons have already operated on eight patients—completing four successful surgeries each day.
The procedures are being led by Dr. Micheal Oketcho, a Senior Consultant Cardiothoracic Surgeon from the Uganda Heart Institute, working in close collaboration with surgeons at LRRH headed by Dr. Bosco Omongo Ekwan.
According to Dr. Andrew Odur, Director of Lira Regional Referral Hospital, the children who have already undergone surgery are recovering well.
“The children that have been operated are recovering, and the teams are happy that they are going to regain their normal functionality and thrive as young people to achieve their full potential,” Dr. Odur said.
He praised the Uganda Heart Institute for prioritizing the delivery of specialized services closer to the region.
“So I want to take this opportunity to thank the management of Uganda Heart Institute for bringing out specialized services to the region of Lango to benefit the people. Of course, special appreciation goes to the Ministry of Health for this forward thinking,” Dr. Odur added.
He noted that the heart surgery camp resonates with LRRH’s mandate to grow all specialized services, and that the hospital will continue engaging the institute to make Lira a launchpad for even stronger collaboration in the future.
Dr. Oketcho explained that the children being operated on are between one and eight years old, all suffering from a congenital heart complication known as Patent Ductus Arteriosus (PDA) a condition where blood flows in the wrong direction, affecting growth and normal well-being.
He added that underlying causes of congenital heart disease in children may be linked to pregnant women taking medicine without prescription, or maternal illnesses during pregnancy such as rubella and measles infection.
Warning signs of heart complications in children include difficulty in breathing, fast breathing, failure to breastfeed, and recurrent chest infections, among others.
Dr. Bosco Omongo Ekwan, a general surgeon at LRRH, expressed deep gratitude to the Uganda Heart Institute team for mentoring and sharing skills with local staff.
“We are really grateful because Uganda Heart Institute teams have mentored and shared a lot of skills and knowledge with us,” Dr. Omongo said. “In the near future, we want to start conducting heart surgeries at LRRH.”
This is the second pediatric closed-heart surgery camp held at Lira Regional Referral Hospital under the auspices of the Uganda Heart Institute. Last year, the team successfully operated on 14 children with similar conditions.
As Friday approaches, hospital staff and families are hoping for more smiles and more children given a second chance at life.
