The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Friday inaugurated an oxygen plant it built in collaboration with IHS Towers, Canadian government among other donor partners to Ebonyi state government.
The project situaed at Alex Ekwueme Federal Teaching Hospital (AE-FETHA 2) was Inaugurated alongside Ebonyi state government.
Inaugurating the project, Deputy Representative of UNICEF in Nigeria, Rowkan Khan, disclosed that the gas plant project was funded by the government of Canada and IHS Towers.
Khan said, “The handover of the Oxygen Gas Plant signifies not just the inauguration of a facility but a commitment to the health and well-being of the people of Ebonyi State.It stands as a testament to the power of collaboration and dedication in addressing critical gaps in healthcare infrastructure.
“The partnership between UNICEF and the Ebonyi State Government exemplifies what can be achieved when organizations come together with a shared vision. It reflects a joint commitment to strengthening health systems and ensuring access to life-saving medical oxygen,particularly for the most vulnerable populations.
“Throughout the journey leading up to this moment,we have seen the impact of collective efforts. From conducting rapid assessments to training healthcare workers and facilitating the dissemination of national policies,each step has been a building block toward a healthier future for Ebonyi state.
“As we look to the future,our focus remains on sustainable access to equitable quality health services which includes expanding medical oxygen production, harnessing sustainable power sources such as solar energy,and establishing equitable distribution infrastructure. These efforts are essential for sustaining the impact of our initiatives and ensuring that healthcare remains accessible to all”.
Representing Governor Francis Nwifuru of Ebonyi state, the Deputy Governor Mrs. Patricia Obilla, appreciated UNICEF and said that government would ensure maintenance of the plant.
She however, charged the Chief Medical Director of Alex Ekwueme Teaching Hospital to ensure the plant produces enough oxygen for the treatment of patients in the hospitals.
“I want to thank you the Unicef for the Oxygen plant and to tell you that we are going to sustain it, we are going to give you all the enabling environment to make sure that you perform very well here.
You have enumerated every if your needs yes they are very important, but I want to tell you to also put it up in writing anyone that Unicef can not do the government will do it for you.
“You need to have people that will work constantly to see that the plant produces oxygen that will be enough for the people
My office will be coming for an inspection here to see to that the plant functions well.
On his Part, Chief Medical Director FETHA, Professor Robinson Ono while commending UNICEF and the state government for Oxygen plant requested for the solarization of the plant.
“Unicef handed over oxygen plant that has the capacity of producing 6000 liters of oxygen on a day to the state, it’s meant to be co-managed with our staff and the state.
“For us, this is what we have been looking for , where we will now have our own oxygen production done by ourselves and Unicef has came to our help by domiciling this oxygen plant in this hospital. We want to ensure the world that we have well trained engineers that will mann this plant and that we will ensure that oxygen production is done regularly such that patients that come to this hospital can receive oxygen freely and that were we can save a lot if lives.
“I am also requesting that this oxygen plant be solarized because diesel, is very expensive and when you work on diesel the production will be as if you are buying it from other places. But if it is solarized the cost of production and cost patients will pay for it will also be reduced.
When I was talking early I requested for a support for a water treatment plant, the essence of it is that we discovered that a lot of patients now came down with renal failure and we think that one of the things that many be causing it is the kind of water we have here(hard water)”.
