By Bill W. Cooper
President George M. Weah has officially dedicated the country first major oxygen plant intended to serve almost two million people on the Bushrod Island.
Located at Star Base, the PSA Oxygen plant which will be used as a reference point for oxygen supply to major health facilities across the country has the capacity to produce 100 cylinders (-50Nm3/hour) of medical oxygen per day at 93+3% purity.
The oxygen plant, which will severe citizens from Montserrado and Margibi Counties respectively was funded by the government of the United States through USAID along with the Federal Republic of Germany, and Canada.
Additionally, the United States government through USAID is also supporting the World Health Organization (WHO) to establish another oxygen plant in Bomi County, which upon completion will serve health facilities in Bomi, Grand Cape Mount and Gbarpolu Counties.
Speaking Tuesday, October 25, 2022 when he officially dedicated the project, the Liberian leader described the facility as a major breakthrough for the country’s health sector.
“We place immense value on this timely support to protect the country against future emerging and re-emerging public health threats,” the President said.
President Weah noted that the facility is part of a major plan by the Ministry of Health (MoH) to rollout eleven major medical oxygen plants across Liberia, and thanked Liberia’s partners for collaborating with his government in supporting initiatives gear towards improving healthcare delivery to the Liberian people.
The Liberian Leader then expressed the hope that the oxygen plant will be fully utilized by health facilities to save the lives of their patients across Montserrado and its environs as well as other counties.
President Weah at the same time further used the occasion to reaffirm his government’s commitment to providing health services to communities and last-mile villages.
He added that those crucial interventions are part of efforts aimed at achieving universal health coverage for citizens across Liberia.
He said the investments in oxygen plants will not only help address resurgence in the COVID-19 pandemic, but will also and more importantly serve all hospitals with the treatment of other perennial diseases, such as pneumonia that persist long after the pandemic.
President Weah used the occasion to extol Liberia’s record as one of few countries globally that has successfully managed the COVID-19 pandemic despite the challenges presented to the health system.
He noted that “the stabilization of the COVID-19 situation and the declining trajectory of new infections in the country is a result of my Government’s swift action in leading and managing the response, in collaboration with our international partners”.
Regarding how Liberia stands in terms of COVID-19 related fatalities, President Weah announced that there are no COVID-19 related fatalities across the country since the beginning of this year.
The Liberian Leader however reminded Liberians that the Virus remains unpredictable, and that the Ministry of Health had recorded 317 cases in August, and 70 cases in September.
President Weah said: “I am told that the number of new infections is unlikely to exceed 70 during this month of October. COVID-19 has not disappeared globally and could mutate to more dangerous variants.”
He however assured Liberians that his Administration remains committed to reforming and revitalizing the country public health systems, and that they will continue to take the essential steps to render them more robust and resilient.
Meanwhile, Health Minister Dr. Wilhelmina Jallah said the facility will solve longstanding problems of low oxygen supply at major referral hospitals across the country.
Dr. Jallah noted that the medical oxygen supplied by the Plant at Star Base will be useful for operation, asthmatic and as well as patient who becomes low on oxygen.
She stressed that the plant, which is the largest in the country, will serve almost two million people given its production capacity of over a hundred cylinders of medical oxygen per day.
Minister Jallah then lauded the World Health Organization (WHO), USAID, the government of Germany and other partners for supporting the milestone project.
Dr. Jallah at the same time further described the plant as hugely significant to Liberia’s healthcare delivery system that has long been challenged since the end of the Country’s 14-year of civil conflict.
