By: Danjuma Attah, Gombe
The Federal Ministry of Health has entered into partnership with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), World Health Organisation (WHO) with the aim of making oxygen more accessible in all health facilities across the Nigeria.
Reports has it that many casualties during the covid-19 pandemic in the country helplessly lost their lives due to the inadequacy of oxygen in most hospitals in Nigeria.
However, on noticing this huge gap, the Federal Ministry of Health in conjunction with UNICEF, WHO and other partners commenced the National Oxygen Strategy for 2023 – 2027 which is aimed at closing the gap by ensuring increased accessibility in health facilities and save more lives especially during emergencies.
At the three day dissemination and step down training of the National Strategy for the scale up Medical Oxygen (2023 – 2027) in health facilities for the North East zone, all the Health Commissioners of the six States led state officials and other stakeholders to Gombe for the training on the management, use of oxygen as well as disseminate a manual and handbook to that effect.
Dr. Jibril Umar Mohammed, a consultant of UNICEF in the Bauchi Field Office, told our correspondent that UNICEF was a major partner with the Federal Ministry of Health in developing the document.
He reviewed the challenges faced in the country as a result of the inadequacy of oxygen during the covid-19 pandemic and said all sectors need the oxygen plant, “especially in paediatric and maternities where it’s absence can result in the loss of lives of new born babies”, he stressed.
He said, “UNICEF is part of the training and has been part of the strategic document development. It supported the multimillion Naira oxygen plants in nine States made up of two in Azare, Bauchi State and Damaturu, Yobe State all in the northeast and hopes to scale up in more States.
“The document disseminated today have guidance from generation of oxygen to the last point in the patient and it is a universal standard operational procedure”, he stated.
Dr. Farouk Umar Isma’il, the Gombe State Coordinator of the World Health Organisation (WHO), said WHO played a key role by providing the technical support to see that the document is produced by the Government.
Mr. Bishara Emmanuel of the Oxygen Desk Office under the Director of Hospitals Services, Federal Ministry of Health, said the training for the northeast is made up of 70 participants including observers.
He revealed that the Federal Government of Nigeria has invested a lot in ensuring the provision of oxygen plants in the country after realising the wide gap that surfaced during the covid-19 pandemic.
“The Federal Government funded the procurement of 30 oxygen plants (the machine that produces oxygen) across the country in almost all the States in collaboration with Global Funds.
“An additional 12 plants with approval for the procurement of 63 that is going to each each geopolitical zone so that each senatorial District will have one.
“More Biomedical Engineers were trained to handle the plants because there were few in the country. Nigeria is aligning with global best practices by transporting oxygen through pipes. Piping is currently going on in Federal Teaching Hospital Gombe where there is an oxygen plant.
“Over 20,000 cylinders were procured by the Federal Government for distribution. It has interest in the oxygen ecosystem and this is the reason for this huge investment as well as this activity”, Mr Bishara explained.
On of the participants in dissemination meeting/training and Gombe State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Habu Dahiru, commended the Federal Government, UNICEF and other partners over the initiative and stressed the importance of oxygen ecosystem in today’s health care delivery.
He however, called on the Federal Ministry of Health and it’s partners to always consult state authorities in deciding or determining the citing of the Oxygen plants in any State considering the peculiarities and needs of the States.
“We strongly recommended that when they want to site such projects, they should come and sit with the State Ministry of Health officials and then we look at the locations where it can be easily accessed by all health facilities in the zone”, Dr. Habu pointed out.
Plans are underway for the establishment of the Oxygen plants in Kumo and Kaltungo for Gombe Central and South zones. However, accessibility of the facility for Nafada, Funakaye, Dukku and some parts of Kwami Local Government to the FTH for Gombe North is expected to pose big challenges because of their very far distance to the facility.
