UNICEF, MOH Inaugurate Oxygen Desk Committee in Ebonyi
By Amarachukwu EgwuAgha, Abakaliki
United Nations Children’s Fund(UNICEF) on Wednesday inaugurated an “oxygen desk committee members in Ebonyi state.
The committee was inaugurated to provide support for the development of a state oxygen plan that outlines the Ebonyi state plans for the sustainable scale-up of oxygen in the state.
The inauguration of the committee was done in collaboration with the Ebonyi State Ministry of Health, at Osborne la palm hotels Abakaliki. It is a two-day program on Ebonyi state medical oxygen inauguration and sensitization meeting.
Ebonyi state commissioner for Health, Dr. Daniel Umezurike during the inauguration of the committee
noted that members were drawn from the ministry, the tertiary health institutions, and the partners. That they are to manage the oxygen plant that is donated to the state by UNICEF and other development partners.
Umezurike said, ” We are here to inaugurate the oxygen desk committee that is made up of members drawn from the Ministry of Health, the tertiary health institutions, and the partners who are to manage the oxygen plant that is donated to Ebonyi state by Unicef and other development partners.
“The essence of it is to build our residence in oxygen supply and
distribution because, during the Covid outbreak, all the health systems realized that there is weakness in their systems including Nigeria and the developed countries.
We found out that everything became very scarce, even oxygen, face mask, hand gloves everything needed for intervention became in short supply and everybody was scrambling for the few, that is what led to this manufacturing of oxygen plants in every geopolitical zone.
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” In the southeast, Ebonyi state happens to be the one chosen and we are very happy, because of all the intervention and the enabling environment governor Umahi provided in the health system in Ebonyi state which is why he was able to attract this to the state.
“This plant that is going to be located in FETHA will be serving the Southeast and especially the facilities in Ebonyi state. They will manufacture and distribute oxygen in the health facilities.
We are hoping that the manufacturing of this will kick off in July, but today we are building the capacity of the people that will manage it. By the reason of this manufacturing, oxygen will not only be affordable but will administer free to our patients”.
A health specialist with the United Children’s Fund, Enugu field office, Dr. Ifeyinwa Anyanyo in her presentation stated that the aims of setting up an oxygen desk committee in Ebonyi were as follows; “to establish high-level multi-sectoral oxygen coordinating platform in the state that will coordinate all oxygen interventions in the state. Increase availability and strengthen the use of data for decision-making and oxygen planning, and to provide support for the development of a state oxygen plan that outlines the Ebonyi state plans for the sustainable scale-up of oxygen in the state”.
She however gave the terms of reference for the committee to work with. It includes the “Development of state implementation strategy to scale up supply and distribution of medical oxygen and diagnostics across health facilities in the state, by providing a platform for collaboration and joint planning amongst partners in the state.
“Coordination, monitoring, and mapping out of interventions implemented in the state by various partners and organizations as well as appropriate monitoring and evaluation of these interventions.
“Identifying sustainable financing to support procurement, installation, and maintenance of the state oxygen equipment and facilities.
“Advocacy for additional public- and private-sector investment in scale-up interventions at state levels.
“Coordination of all capacity-building efforts for health workers, biomedical engineers, and quality improvement teams on the use and maintenance of oxygen devices and equipment; from the development of training material and/or facilitation of training with partners” among others.