Port Harcourt — The Canadian High Commissioner to Nigeria, Mr James Christoff, has revealed that the government of Canada in a bid to respond to health intervention call supported the Nigerian government with $23million in the building of oxygen plants across nine states in the country.
Christoff who made the disclosure yesterday, during his visit to the newly commissioned Pressure Swing Adsorption (PSA) oxygen plant at the General Hospital Nchia, Eleme, Rivers State, said the support was made through the United Nations Children Emergency Fund (UNICEF).
It would be recalled that the Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, had on August 6, this year, inaugurated the 720,000 litres capacity oxygen plant handed over to the state government by UNICEF.
The Country Representative of UNICEF, Ms. Cristain Munduate had during the inauguration of the plant, said the initiative was a follow up to the comprehensive and nationwide assessment of oxygen needs of health facilities across the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
She added that the oxygen plant located in General Hospital Nchia, was built in partnership with the Federal Government, Canadian Government, Rivers State Government and IHS Towers.
Speaking further during his visit at the facility yesterday, the Canadian High Commissioner to Nigeria, noted that "the Government of Canada, UNICEF, the government of River State, and of course, the healthcare system, came together and bring effective focus and change to address shortcomings that, ultimately, if addressed, can make a real difference to the general public
"We were not able to effectively address everything that came our way. And so one of those gaps, of course, was the issue of medical oxygen. Canada decided to make a concerted effort in supporting significant funding through UNICEF to address the shortage of medical oxygen across the globe. Our nine projects across Nigeria are in part of a much larger effort to do to address similar shortages around the world".
Christoff revealed "So it is my sincere pleasure to be here representing Canada and seeing how Canadian tax dollars really have made a difference here in Nigeria. And so the Government of Canada provided $23 million to support the building of nine facilities across Nigeria including this one and to respond to similar gaps that we have identified during our response'
He added that the achievement of the project is another example of where the Rivers government, local health authorities, community, the United Nations System are able to come together, identify a problem, put it on the table and have those from the international community respond in kind.
Earlier in her remarks, the permanent secretary of Rivers State Ministry of Health, Dr Mekele Igwe stated that the oxygen plant is a testament to the remarkable collaboration between the State government and its international partners, saying that "It stands as a beacon of progress and a vital resource in our quest to provide better medical care and ensure that no patient is deprived of the essential oxygen required for their treatment".
According to Dr Igwe, "This oxygen plant fills about 135 cylinders (20-1liter bottles) in 24 hours and provides 720,000 liters of medical oxygen within the same time frame. This capacity ensures that 100 children with severe pneumonia or 50-60 adults battling critical respiratory illnesses can receive round- the-clock oxygen treatment simultaneously".
She explained that in a region where access to medical oxygen is often limited, the facility plays a crucial role in saving lives, improving patient outcomes, and supporting healthcare system's overall efficacy. "It ensures that hospitals within Rivers State and the neighbouring states are better equipped to handle emergencies and provide continuous care to those in need."
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She however, appreciated the Canadian government's commitment to fostering health innovations and its unwavering support towards strengthening healthcare systems in developing regions, stressing "Your contributions reflect a shared vision for Health for all Rivers'.
On his part, Dr Anslem Audu, the Chief of Field Office, UNICEF Port Harcourt, expressed the believe that the plant will deliver oxygen to both private and government facilities to ensure that any patient that needs oxygen will have it, adding that "There will be no scarcity of oxygen in Rivers state with the commissioning of the plant".
He also acknowledged that "The funding for the establishment of this plant have been provided by the Canadian government, IHS Towers, through UNICEF and everything has been paid for and the government in their wisdom has ensured that Private Public Partnership will ensure the sustainability of the plant".
