- Governor Wilberforce Ottichilo said it took his administration a long time to procure the oxygen plant
- The county boss said the facility has the capacity to produce 300 litres of oxygen per minute
- Ottichilo also said his administration received a total of KSh 60.8 million grant to procure the equipment for the facility
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Vihiga county government has launched its first-ever fully-fledged oxygen plant and a five-bed Intensive Care Unit facility to counter the COVID-19 pandemic.
Governor Wilberforce Ottichilo said that the newly commissioned oxygen plant has the capacity to produce 300 litres of oxygen per minute which will be able to supply and fully support all the health facilities in the county.
Speaking when he commissioned the facility at Vihiga Referral Hospital in Mbale, the governor said it took his administration a long time to procure the facility.
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"This is a special day Vihiga is setting a new milestone. Many have been asking for the ICU facility and today we have finally made it," he said."We have had a big challenge but now we have the capacity to produce our own oxygen in abundance and sell the excess to other buyers.This facility has come at a crucial time when we are facing the new COVID-19 variant," he added.In addition, Ottichilo said his administration received a total of KSh 60.8 million grant to procure the equipment for the facility.
At the same time, the Vihiga county health sector was privileged to receive a personal protective equipment grant worth 1.4 million from the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, which is to be distributed to the county's health facilities.
"We are grateful for the partnership we've had for this long and we hope to maintain the spirit for the well-being of people of Vihiga," Lucy Anyaga, a representative from the school said.
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However, Lugaga wa Muluma MCA asked the Ottichilo administration to take good care of its health workers, particularly those going to handle the newly procured equipment.
His sentiments were echoed by his Gisambai counterpart Eric Odei who urged governor Ottichilo to formulate strategies that will see equipment work on a 24-hour basis.
Story by Collins Mmbulika, TUKO.co.ke correspondent.
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Source: TUKO.co.ke
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