…as Oxygen plants excite Gov Otu
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has donated oxygen generation plants to Cross Rivers, Kaduna, Ogun, and Ebonyi states in its bid to assist Nigeria’s efforts towards enhancing quality healthcare delivery.
The global agency, with assistance from its partners, the Canadian and Norwegian governments, and IHS Nigeria, is also set to hand over another set of oxygen plants at the final stages of completion to the governments of Bauchi, Oyo, Yobe, Rivers, and Kano. These are expected to be handed over to state governments this year.
UNICEF Country Representative, Ms. Cristian Munduate, said the gesture was in recognition of the urgent need to bridge critical healthcare gaps, underscoring the commitment to improving the health and well-being of the people of Nigeria through robust healthcare infrastructure.
According to Munduate, in a press statement by UNICEF’s Communication Specialist, Susan Akila, over the weekend, the handover of the newly built oxygen generation plants marks a critical development in UNICEF’s mission to provide medical-grade oxygen to healthcare facilities.
The new oxygen plants can fill 135 cylinders (20-litre bottles) in 24 hours and can provide 720,000 litres of medical oxygen within the same time frame.
The capacity ensures that 100 children with severe pneumonia or 50-60 COVID-19 patients can receive round-the-clock oxygen treatment simultaneously.
She said: “These plants will ensure a continuous and reliable supply of life-saving oxygen, essential for the treatment of our most vulnerable, particularly children.”
In his appreciation of the donation, the Governor of Cross Rivers State, Sen. Bassey Otu, noted that medical oxygen is an essential commodity in both emergency and routine medical applications because every tissue in the body requires it.
He assured the sustenance of the oxygen plant by his government considering its importance, saying, “Its importance was globally appreciated during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“From then, its availability has become a most important indicator for measuring health system preparedness to contain health emergencies.
“I am delighted by this laudable support from UNICEF and its donors in establishing this medical oxygen plant in Cross River State.
“We will complement this breakthrough achievement in ensuring the sustainability of medical oxygen across the state.”
On the reason behind the involvement of the Government of Canada in the project, the High Commissioner of Canada to Nigeria, James Christoff, said, “Medical oxygen is an essential life-saving medicine.
“Having a steady and reliable supply of medical oxygen contributes to the successful treatment of patients at all levels of the healthcare system, including in surgery, trauma, heart failure, asthma, pneumonia, and maternal and childcare.
“Canada is proud to partner with UNICEF and IHS on this important initiative, which is leading to strengthened health systems in Nigeria.”
Mohamad Darwish, CEO of IHS Nigeria, expressed his organization’s appreciation for supporting an initiative that aims to enhance healthcare accessibility, improve service delivery, and strengthen treatments for illnesses within their host communities.
“We are proud to support UNICEF and contribute to an initiative which is designed to strengthen healthcare services and help support the Federal Ministry of Health meet demands for effective oxygen therapy in Nigeria,” he said.
