Medical oxygen has long remained one of the less visible but most critical components of healthcare delivery. In emergency rooms, operating theatres, intensive care units and maternity wards, access to oxygen can mean the difference between life and death.
For Ebonyi State, however, the challenge is no longer simply about having oxygen plants. It is increasingly about ensuring that the facilities can function efficiently, remain sustainable and deliver oxygen to patients whenever it is needed.
This concern took centre stage in Abakaliki yesterday as stakeholders in the health sector gathered for the First Stakeholders’ Engagement and Co-Creation Workshop on the Medical Oxygen Economy, organised under the EQUI-RESP Africa Research Project.
Representing Governor Francis Nwifuru, Patricia Obila, deputy governor, challenged stakeholders to look beyond the installation of oxygen plants and focus on the human capacity required to operate and maintain them.
‘If you have something and you don’t have the technical know-how to manage it, it is as good as having nothing,’ she said.
Her statement captured one of the major challenges confronting Ebonyi’s emerging medical oxygen system: the need to match infrastructure with the technical expertise required to keep it functional.
The state government has already taken steps towards improving local oxygen production. Oxygen plants have been commissioned at the Alex Ekwueme Federal University Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki (AE-FUTHA), Onicha General Hospital and Mater Hospital.
For a state that previously had limited local oxygen production capacity, the facilities represent an important step towards reducing dependence on external sources and improving access to medical oxygen.
But infrastructure, stakeholders argued, is only one part of the solution.
Beyond installing oxygen plants
Obila reaffirmed the state government’s commitment to improving healthcare delivery and strengthening partnerships with development organisations.
She urged participants at the workshop to assess the functionality of existing oxygen facilities, identify infrastructure and human-capacity gaps and develop practical recommendations that could guide future government interventions.
The Deputy Governor said the government was prepared to support evidence-based recommendations that would improve the efficiency, sustainability and accessibility of medical oxygen services across the state.
Her position reflects a broader lesson from Nigeria’s experience during the COVID-19 pandemic, when hospitals across the country struggled with shortages of medical oxygen and other critical healthcare resources.
The pandemic exposed the vulnerability of health systems that lacked adequate oxygen infrastructure, reliable supply chains and personnel capable of managing oxygen systems.
Years after the pandemic, the question for Ebonyi and other states is how to ensure that the lessons learnt are translated into lasting improvements.
The human capacity question
For Jesse Uneke, Professor and Nigerian and State Lead/Principal Investigator of the EQUI-RESP Africa Research Project and Vice Chancellor of David Umahi Federal University of Health Sciences (DUFUHS), medical oxygen deserves greater attention within Nigeria’s health system.
Uneke said the project was designed to bridge the gap between research, policy and practice while improving access to life-saving oxygen.
He noted that medical oxygen remains an under-emphasised component of healthcare delivery despite its critical importance, adding that challenges associated with access to and administration of oxygen contribute to more than 600,000 deaths annually in Nigeria.
According to him, the second phase of the EQUI-RESP project is focused on medical oxygen and the development of a stronger oxygen economy within healthcare facilities.
The concept of an oxygen economy goes beyond the production of oxygen. It encompasses the infrastructure, technical personnel, financing, maintenance systems, distribution networks, regulation and healthcare practices needed to ensure that oxygen reaches patients safely and consistently.
This means that a functional oxygen plant without trained technicians, reliable power, maintenance plans and an effective distribution system may not deliver the expected health benefits.
Building a Sustainable System
Robinson Onoh, the Chief Medical Director of AE-FUTHA, commended the Ebonyi State Government for supporting the establishment of oxygen production facilities.
Onoh noted that the state previously lacked such infrastructure and stressed that sustaining local oxygen production would be critical to building a more resilient healthcare system.
His position highlights another important issue: establishing an oxygen plant is only the beginning.
Medical oxygen facilities require regular maintenance, skilled personnel and reliable systems to ensure that production does not stop when equipment develops faults or when trained operators are unavailable.
For Ebonyi, developing a pool of technicians and healthcare workers with specialised knowledge of oxygen systems could therefore be as important as investing in the plants themselves.
From infrastructure to impact
The Abakaliki workshop brought together representatives of government, healthcare institutions, academia and development organisations to examine the challenges facing the medical oxygen sector.
The objective was not merely to identify problems but to co-create solutions that reflect the realities of Ebonyi’s healthcare system.
The collaboration involving DUFUHS, the University of Edinburgh in the United Kingdom and the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), UK, provides an opportunity to connect research and international expertise with local healthcare needs.
For Ebonyi, the immediate task is to translate that knowledge into practical interventions – from training technical personnel and improving maintenance systems to strengthening oxygen distribution and ensuring that health facilities can reliably access the commodity.
The state’s investment in oxygen plants has created the physical foundation. The next phase is to build the human and institutional capacity capable of sustaining them.
As the state expands healthcare infrastructure, the success of its medical oxygen programme may ultimately be measured not by the number of plants commissioned, but by how consistently those facilities produce and deliver oxygen to patients when it matters most.
That is the real test of sustainability ensuring that an investment in infrastructure becomes a dependable, life-saving service for the people of Ebonyi State.