Nwifuru Commissions Oxygen Gas Plant At AE- FUNAI Provided By UNICEF

Ebonyi State Governor, Rt. Hon. Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru has commissioned the oxygen gas plant provided by United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) at Alex Ekwueme Federal University Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki (AEFUTHA).

Commissioning the plant in Accident and Emergency Ward premises, the Governor who was represented by his Deputy, Princess Patricia Onyemaechi Obila thanked UNICEF for the oxygen gas plant and assured that the State Government would do the needful to ensure its sustenance

He charged the Chief Medical Director Alex Ekwueme Federal University Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki to make sure that the gas plant produces enough oxygen for the treatment of patients in the hospital.

The Governor encouraged them to articulate other things needed which were not provided by UNICEF for the State Government to take care of them

Earlier in his opening remarks, the Hon. Commissioner for Health, Dr. Moses Ekuma represented by the Director Medical Services and the Oxygen Desk Officer, Dr. Ezeogo Lawrence said that the oxygen gas plant was the first to be built by UNICEF in South East Zone and expressed his gratitude to UNICEF for siting it in Ebonyi State.

He appealed to UNICEF and other development partners to help provide solar energy for the gas plant as high cost of diesel would make it not to be affordable by the poor masses .

Ekuma said that the Bio engineers should be properly trained so that they would not only start and off the plant but ensure its maintenance to serve the people better

The Health Boss chronicled the achievements of the Governor describing him as a health conscious Governor.

On her part, the UNICEF Deputy Representative in Nigeria, Rownak Khan acknowledged donors like the Government of Canada, IHS Towers and other partners who contributed to the historic event. She said that the joint effort of the State Government and health department led to the success story.

"The assessment was done jointly, the planning was done jointly and the design was done jointly".

She said that the maternal and child health intervention was aimed at saving the lives of neonatal because a child in the first 20 days can lose his or her life if there is not enough oxygen. She maintained that it would help to save the population especially the newborn and the future generation.

The UNICEF Deputy Representative promised to work with them to bring other donors in terms of the solarization among others as UNICEF cannot shoulder the responsibility alone and was optimistic that the Oxygen gas plant would make a difference in the lives of Ebonyians.

Lending his voice, the Chief Medical Director, Alex Ekwueme Federal University Teaching Hospital Abakaliki (AEFUTHA), Prof. Robinson Chukwudi Onoh commended UNICEF for alleviating their suffering of traveling to different States to access oxygen for their patients adding that "the oxygen gas plant can produce more than enough for State and it can also be an Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) for the State".

He disclosed that oxygen is life and with the oxygen gas plant, UNICEF has given life to their patients and promised that they would manage it adequately.

Prof. Onoh requested for provision of Water Treatment plant for the State to enable them tackle renal failures prevalent in the hospital which they believed was caused by the type of water (hard water) in the State.

Similarly, the UNICEF Deputy Representative in Nigeria, Rownak Khan, the Health Specialist, UNICEF Enugu Field Officer, Dr. Ifeyinwa Anyanyo,.the UNICEF Enugu Chief of Field Office, Juliet Chiluwe and other members of the team interacted with the 28 beneficiaries of UNICEF scholarship award comprising 24 students of School of Nursing and Midwifery, Uburu as well as 4 students of College of Health Technology, Ngbo at Ochudo Centenary City, Abakaliki.

Responding on behalf of other beneficiaries, Mr. Opara Onu Uzoma from School of Nursing and Midwifery Uburu applauded UNICEF for lifting the burden from their parents and appealed to them to extend the kind gesture to others especially the orphans and those who have lost either parent so that they would not be denied the opportunity to go to school.