By Sherine Atieno and Ogega Ondari 
USAID-Funded RISE Project Hands Over Oxygen Plant to JOOTRH
The USAID-funded Reaching Impact, Saturation and Epidemic Control (RISE), implemented by JHPIEGO, has officially handed over back the Pressure Swing Adsorption (PSA) oxygen plant at Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital (JOOTRH) and the Kisumu County Government after repair and overhaul servicing. This marks a milestone in strengthening the region’s healthcare systems and will ultimately benefit thousands of patients in Kisumu and beyond.
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. Moving forward, JOOTRH will shoulder the responsibility of sustaining the infrastructure, which currently incurs annual maintenance costs of estimated KES 7.2 million. This requires the hospital to set aside between KES 7–10 million annually to keep the plant operational.
The oxygen generated by the PSA plant serves not only patients at JOOTRH but is also distributed to 21 other health facilities within Kisumu County. However, due to increasing demand, the supply is still insufficient to meet the needs of all facilities across the region. As such, JOOTRH has called upon all benefiting facilities across the county and beyond to collaborate in sharing the cost of maintaining the plant. This cost-sharing arrangement will take effect starting May 1, 2025.
Oxygen is a critical commodity in healthcare, especially for emergency and critical care services. To ensure an uninterrupted flow of oxygen to high-demand units such as the Wards, ICU, HDU, and Accident & Emergency, capacity building is essential. Equipping biomedical engineers with the skills needed for routine maintenance and repair will reduce long-term costs, ensure prompt response, and support the efficient functioning of the plant.
JOOTRH’s Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Richard Lesiyampe emphasized 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 utilization of the Oxygen Management Information System to track oxygen consumption and optimize plant operations while enhancing efficiency, accountability and transparency.
On average, JOOTRH supplies oxygen to an average of 90 patients daily, a figure expected to rise with the increasing patient load and referrals from surrounding facilities.
Dr. Lesiyampe extended 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.
