The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and IHS Towers have inspected the medical oxygen plant at General Hospital, Eleme, Rivers State, as stakeholders called for solar power installation and additional oxygen cylinders to improve production and ensure the facility’s long-term sustainability.
The inspection, conducted on Wednesday, provided an opportunity to assess the plant’s operations, identify constraints and explore ways to strengthen its capacity to meet growing demand for medical oxygen in Rivers State and neighbouring states.
UNICEF Health Specialist at its Enugu Field Office, Dr Ifeyinwa Anyanyo, said the plant was established through a partnership involving the Nigerian and Canadian governments, IHS Towers and UNICEF.
She explained that the initiative formed part of efforts to address gaps in access to medical oxygen exposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, which prompted the establishment of oxygen plants across different geopolitical zones of the country.
Anyanyo commended the Rivers State Government for managing the facility but noted that further improvements and expansion were needed to maximise its impact.
The Chief Medical Director of the Rivers State Hospitals Management Board, Dr Bright Ogbonda, said the plant, inaugurated in August 2023, had significantly improved access to medical oxygen for healthcare facilities in Rivers State and beyond.
However, he disclosed that the facility was operating below capacity because of unreliable power supply and an insufficient number of oxygen cylinders.
“The plant is not connected to the national grid and relies entirely on diesel-powered generators, making production expensive and limiting its output,” Ogbonda said.
He appealed to UNICEF, IHS Towers and other development partners to support the installation of solar power and connection to the national grid, noting that a more reliable and affordable energy supply would reduce operating costs, increase production and improve the plant’s financial sustainability.
According to Ogbonda, the facility has an estimated lifespan of 15 years, making it necessary to build financial reserves for equipment replacement and the possible establishment of additional plants.
He also identified a shortage of oxygen cylinders as a major distribution challenge, explaining that some cylinders supplied to hospitals remained with customers who did not have their own containers, limiting the plant’s ability to serve other facilities.
Ogbonda said the management had procured about 50 additional 40-litre cylinders, helping to ease the shortage, but added that more were still needed.
He noted that the plant supplied oxygen at one of the lowest prices in Rivers State, attracting customers from Bayelsa, Imo and other neighbouring areas.
The facility, he said, was established primarily to provide affordable medical oxygen rather than maximise profits.
On security, Ogbonda said management had installed closed-circuit television cameras, reinforced doors and engaged night security personnel to protect the plant against vandalism. He called for additional security support to safeguard the wider hospital premises.
The plant’s senior operator, ThankGod Epelle, said the facility had an installed production capacity of 18 cubic metres per hour but currently produced about 20 40-litre cylinders daily because of power constraints.
Epelle explained that diesel expenses consumed a significant portion of the plant’s revenue, limiting its ability to meet growing demand from public and private hospitals.
He also appealed for solar power and additional cylinders to increase production and improve distribution.
The oxygen plant was established following a nationwide assessment of medical oxygen needs across Nigeria’s 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory. It was subsequently handed over to the Rivers State Government as part of efforts to strengthen healthcare delivery.
