UNICEF partners Ebonyi ministry of health to train personnel on national strategy for scale up medical oxygen.

Jacob Ogodo Abakaliki

A 3-day dissemination and step-down training workshop on the national strategy for the scale-up medical oxygen for 2023 to 2027 in health facility organized by Federal Ministry of Health in collaboration with UNICEF has ended in Abakaliki the Ebonyi State Capital

The training which took place at Cirenes hotel, attracted health workers from all the States in South East Geopolitical zone comprising Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo

Speaking during the closing ceremony, the Hon. Commissioner for Health, Dr Moses Ekuma thanked the Federal Ministry of Health and partners especially UNICEF for choosing Ebonyi State for the training.

The Commissioner who was represented by the Oxygen Desk Officer and the Director Medical Services, Dr. Ezeogo Lawrence, poured encomiums on the Ebonyi State Governor, His Excellency, Rt. Hon. Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru for his interest in the health sector stressing that the Governor employed medical personnel, procured SUV cars for medical doctors including ambulances for general hospitals as well as medical equipments worth billions of naira among others.

He  said that he would liaise with the Governor to provide oxygen plant for Ebonyians and announced that he must make sure that “the oxygen plant provided by UNICEF at Alex Ekwueme Federal University Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki (AEFUTHA)  start functioning optimally as soon as possible”.

Contributing, the Executive Secretary Primary Healthcare Development Agency, Dr. Ovuoba Emeka Philip described the training as apt and commended the facilitators for increasing their knowledge and urged participants to take the message to their respective States for effective service delivery.

Dr. Ovuoba noted that medical oxygen cuts across all diseases and ages such as heart failure, asthma, pneumonia, maternal and childcare including vulnerable groups like the elderly.

In her remarks, the Health Specialist, UNICEF Enugu Field Officer, Dr. Ifeyinwa Anyanyo disclosed that Ebonyi Oxygen gas plant would be commissioned next week.

She expressed her gratitude to the facilitators and all the participants including the host State, Ebonyi and other partners. She enjoined them to practice what they learnt through adequate sensitization of health workers and pushing for steady progress on medical oxygen.

Some participants who spoke including the Director, Anambra State Primary Healthcare Development Agency, Dr. Okeke Ngozi and the Senior Medical Officer, Primary Healthcare Enugu, Dr. Ozoude Linus said that the training would enable them to perform better as they would work out modalities to improve oxygen supply, oxygen usage and availability so that nobody with hypoxemia who needs oxygen would die.

There were lectures on oxygen strategy policy and implemention plan; hypoxemia, oxygen as an essential medicine, financing oxygen and human resource for health as well as governance and coordination, strategic risks and mitigation approaches  by firebrand facilitators like Dr. Nuhu Samuel, Jos University Teaching Hospital; Mrs. Ajayi Olajumoke, Federal Ministry of Health, Oxygen Desk and Dr. Abu Haruna, University of Abuja Teaching Hospital.