Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has inaugurated a 35-cylinder oxygen plant at the General Hospital in Ogale community, Eleme Local Government Area of the state. The Pressure Swing Adsorption (PSA) Oxygen Plant, a public-private initiative, was jointly built and installed by UNICEF in partnership with the Federal Government of Nigeria, Rivers State Government, the Canadian Government, and IHS Towers.
Governor Fubara stated that the project aligns with his administration’s three-point agenda, emphasizing that healthcare services are becoming increasingly accessible to all residents in the state. He highlighted the reconstruction, equipping, and staffing of health facilities, boasting that the state has achieved tremendous success in the past six months.
He said: “We might have had so many things in mind or written down before we came on board. But halfway through the journey, we found out that we need to redirect ourselves and understand the needs of our people.
“The need for quality education, the need for affordable healthcare services, the need to put food on the tables of our people became more pertinent. And that is why we brought this three-point agenda: healthcare, education, and agriculture, and you are witnesses to it.
“What we have done, not in one year but in the past six months of our liberation, is that we have touched healthcare services like never before in our State. We have spent and we are spending to make sure that Rivers State becomes a health (medical) tourism State.”
Fubara explained that the oxygen plant would generate oxygen for patients with respiratory-related illnesses caused by exposure to polluted environments. He assured that the project would be protected and appealed to residents to be patient with the government, noting that tenable and enduring policies are being implemented to ensure a better society.
“But, the unique thing about this project is that it needed to be sited somewhere that people understand its need, people who are making positive investments in healthcare. And that is why we gained that privilege.
“A situation where people from the East and South-South states will be coming to access this facility. You know what it means? On your lands that we’re building more roads for you, people will start buying them to start living here.
“More medical facilities will start to spring up. As a matter of fact, don’t be surprised, most of these international organizations might be coming to set up some plants because what is coming out of here is a very important ingredient in healthcare services.”
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The Rivers State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Adaeze Chidinma Oreh, emphasized the importance of oxygen in medical care, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. She praised Governor Fubara’s leadership, stating that the oxygen plant would enhance healthcare facilities’ capacity to respond to medical emergencies.
UNICEF Nigeria Country Representative, Ms. Cristian Munduate, expressed delight in handing over the facility, highlighting the collective endeavor to improve health outcomes for Rivers people. She emphasized the significance of medical oxygen treatment, particularly for children under five years, and commended the partnership between UNICEF, IHS Nigeria, the Government of Canada, and the Government of Rivers State.
