By Samson Obande,  Lafia

The management of Dalhatu Araf Specialist Hospital, DASH, Akwanga has inaugurated a 14-member Oxygen Committee to oversee operations at the hospital’s permanent site plant in a bid to guarantee uninterrupted supply of medical oxygen.

The committee is mandated to ensure efficient production and distribution of oxygen to both patients within the hospital and private consumers.

Inaugurating the team, the Chief Medical Director, Dr. Esala Abene, described oxygen as “medicine” and stressed that its availability must be prioritized like drugs and other critical medical supplies.

“Oxygen saves lives. This committee must ensure round-the-clock availability and that the product reaches end-users efficiently without hitches,” Dr. Abene said.

He also noted the commercial viability of the plant, stating that a well-managed oxygen production facility can generate substantial internally generated revenue for the hospital.

The CMD directed the committee to work closely with the State Oxygen Desk Officer and other relevant agencies, and to develop a transparent billing template to guide sales and transactions.

He recalled that the renewed national focus on medical oxygen followed the critical shortages exposed during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Global Fund is financing Nigeria’s medical oxygen scale-up through its COVID-19 Response Mechanism, C19RM, grant. Under the program, 73 Pressure Swing Adsorption, PSA, plants, 12 cryogenic liquid oxygen tanks and over 12,000 oxygen cylinders have been deployed nationwide.

The initiative is being coordinated with federal health authorities to strengthen respiratory care infrastructure across tertiary and secondary health facilities.

Responding on behalf of the committee, the Chairman, Dr. Buhari Usman, who also serves as Deputy Chairman of the Medical Advisory Committee, C-MAC, thanked management for the confidence reposed in the team. He confirmed that the oxygen plant at the permanent site is currently operating optimally.

However, Dr. Usman raised concerns over inadequate storage capacity.

“The number of cylinders available is not sufficient to meet the growing demand,” he said. “We appeal to management to urgently procure additional cylinders to prevent future shortages and to ensure that the plant’s full capacity is utilized for the benefit of patients and the community.”

Health experts say reliable oxygen supply is critical for managing pneumonia, surgical cases, maternal emergencies, and other life-threatening conditions.

The committee’s terms of reference include plant maintenance, quality assurance, logistics, record keeping and revenue monitoring.