Lira City, Uganda: Gulu Regional Referral Hospital has intensified efforts to improve service delivery after benchmarking with Lira Regional Referral Hospital, becoming the third facility in two months to seek lessons from the high-performing northern Uganda health institution.
The high-level visit, conducted on March 30, 2026, follows similar engagements by Kabale Regional Referral Hospital and Jinja Regional Referral Hospital, signaling what health leaders describe as a growing culture of collaboration within Uganda’s public referral system.
A delegation from Gulu, led by Board Chairperson Dr Paul Onek Awil, toured key service units at Lira, including the SANAS-accredited satellite laboratory, dialysis unit, intensive care unit (ICU), accident and emergency department, and the newly commissioned 45-bed gynecology ward.
Speaking during the engagement, Lira Regional Referral Hospital Director Dr Benet Ocom said the facility remains open to peer institutions seeking to strengthen service delivery. “We believe progress in healthcare must be shared. What we are doing in Lira is not for Lira alone—it is for the entire country,” Dr Ocom said.
“Benchmarking visits allow us to exchange ideas, identify gaps, and collectively raise the standard of care across regional referral hospitals.”
He noted that Lira’s recent investments in specialised units and laboratory accreditation were part of a deliberate strategy to improve patient outcomes. “Our focus has been on building systems that are reliable, efficient, and patient-centred. We are not perfect, but we are committed to continuous improvement.”
For the Gulu delegation, the visit highlighted urgent areas for improvement, particularly in diagnostics and critical care. Dr Awil described the experience as “eye-opening,” noting that Lira’s systems provide a practical model for transformation.
“What we have seen here is a hospital that has invested in systems that work. The laboratory, ICU, and emergency department are areas we must strengthen back in Gulu,” he said.
“This is not just a learning visit—it is a call to action. We must move with speed to implement what is practical and beneficial to our patients.”
He emphasized that benchmarking is critical in a rapidly evolving healthcare environment. “We cannot operate in isolation. The challenges we face are similar, and the solutions must be shared,” Dr Awil noted.
“Our goal is to ensure that a patient in Gulu receives the same quality of care as one in Lira or elsewhere in Uganda.”
The visit underscores a broader shift within Uganda’s health sector, where regional referral hospitals are increasingly turning to peer learning to improve service delivery rather than operating in isolation.
Health experts say this trend could reduce congestion at national referral hospitals and expand access to specialised care closer to communities.
Dr Ocom echoed this outlook, stressing that collaboration remains key to building a resilient health system.
“If every regional referral hospital strengthens its capacity, we will decongest national facilities and bring quality care nearer to the people,” he said. “This is how we build a strong health system—by learning from one another and moving forward together.”
With multiple hospitals now benchmarking within a short period, the momentum is building. For Gulu Regional Referral Hospital, attention now turns to implementing the lessons learned.
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