Oxygen Plant Launched to Boost Health Access in Lower Shire
The oxygen plant was procured and installed by Partners In Health at a cost of $1.6 million (approximately K3.2 billion).
CHIKWAWA, Malawi — Malawi's Deputy Health Minister Halima Daud officially launched an oxygen gas plant and vehicle on Thursday at Chikwawa District Hospital, saying the facility is part of President Lazarus Chakwera's plan to ensure every district hospital has a readily available medical oxygen gas supply, writes Abraham Bisayi.
"This Oxygen Plant has the capability of filling twenty (20), 50-litre capacity oxygen gas cylinders per day," Daud said.
"In addition, this plant will not be the source of medical oxygen only for the district hospital at Chikwawa but also all health centers in the district and is expected to supply oxygen to Nsanje District Hospital and the health centers in Nsanje District."
The oxygen plant was procured and installed by Partners In Health at a cost of $1.6 million (approximately K3.2 billion).
It includes a distribution truck and piping aimed at serving Chikwawa, Nsanje, Mwanza, Neno, Lisungwi and Balaka hospitals.
"The oxygen plant that we have launched was installed under the 'Building Reliable Integrated & Next Generation O2 Services (BRING O2)' Grant that we at Partners In Health (PIH) implemented with support and funding from UNITAID," said PIH Executive Director Basimenye Nhlema.
Nhlema said the project was initiated toward the end of the COVID-19 pandemic as global demand for oxygen equipment soared.
Chikwawa District Council Chairman Wyson Bush hailed the health ministry and PIH for the facility, saying it will ease challenges the Lower Shire region faced during the COVID-19 era when relying solely on Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital in Blantyre for oxygen supply, which led to high death rates.
According to the Malawi National Medical Oxygen Ecosystem Roadmap 2021–2026, the country needs an estimated monthly oxygen supply amounting to 115,156,050 liters (equivalent to 16,935 "J" cylinders).