By: Felix Ikpotor
As part of deliberate effort at pursuing its Health for All Rivers Policy, the Rivers State government on Tuesday, commissioned a state-of-the-art Pressure Swing Adsorption (PSA) Medical Oxygen Plant located at the Bori Zonal Hospital in Khana Local Government alArea of the state.
The facility, with the capacity to produce 60,000 litres of medical oxygen per day, is a Global Fund-supported intervention, through the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA).
Port Harcourt Spectator recalls that in August 2024, the United Nations Children Emergency Fund (UNICEF) built and handed over similar facility to the state government at the Nchia General Hospital.
The State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Adeaze Oreh while inaugurating the facility said it represents a significant milestone in the government’s effort at strengthening the healthcare delivery system and improve clinical outcomes across the state.. Oreh, noted that the lesson from the COVID-19 pandemic necessitated the urgent need to build resilient oxygen ecosystems capable of responding to emergencies and routine clinical care in the state.
She said: “Medical oxygen is not just a commodity; it is an essential life-saving medicine. Its availability in health facilities is critical for managing pneumonia, childbirth complications, surgical procedures, trauma, and severe infectious diseases. The lesson from the COVID-19 pandemic further underscored the urgent need to build resilient oxygen ecosystems capable of responding to emergencies and routine clinical care.
“This PSA Medical Oxygen Plant brings us closer to that goal. With its daily output of 60 Cubic Metres, this facility will support an uninterrupted oxygen supply to our hospitals, reduce patient referrals due to oxygen shortages, and lower mortality from conditions that require prompt oxygen therapy. It will also ease the financial burden on families who previously had to source oxygen from distant or private suppliers”.
Oreh assured that the state government is commited to ensuring that the plant operates at full capacity and delivers maximum benefit to people of the state.
She also disclosed plans to train personnel to manage the facility.
“We will continue to invest in training of biomedical engineers, technicians, and clinical staff who will manage, maintain, and optimally utilise this installation. Sustainability is paramount, and we are determined to uphold the standards required to keep this plant functional for years to come,” Oreh said.
She seized the medium to assure the partners that the donation will improve service delivery at the Zonal Hospital and also serve as a cornerstone in the broader strategy to scale medical oxygen availability across all levels of care in Rivers State, adding that it allows with the governor, Siminialayi Fubara’s Health For All Rivers Policy.
“It aligns perfect with national efforts to strengthen the oxygen ecosystem and with His Excellency, the Governor of Rivers State’s mandate on Health for All Rivers People, ” she said.
The health commisdioner lauded the Global Fund, NACA, and the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare for their contribution and partnership in saving lives, strengthening systems, and empowering communities. She also charged the staff and management of the hospital to take ownership of the facility.
In her speech, representative of the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Nnenna Godwin, noted that the facility is one of the 63 plants donated by Global Fund through NACA, to the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare and distributed across the country, with Rivers State having two, the second one which is in Degema.
She called for protection of the facility against vandalism.
“We want it to be well utilized and well taken care of. We don’t want to have a situation where it is vandalized by the time we leave, because we’ve had situations where some of the parts were vandalized. We wouldn’t want that to happen in Port Harcourt. From the Federal Ministry ofHealth and Social Welfare, we implore all of us to take proper care of this huge investment that have come to us and await more because we believe more will still come to River State,” she stated.
Chief Medical Director of the newly constructed Bori Zonal Hospital, Dr. Bright Ogbonda, stated that the facility will improve the oxygen demand and supply chain in the state and neighbouring states and as well and ameliorate cases of hypoxia in both public and private hospitals in the state.
He aknowledged Governor Siminialayi Fubara’s efforts and that of the ministry of health.
