Health experts in Bauchi State are happy about the progress in reducing deaths among mothers and children. They say part of the success comes from a new oxygen plant, which was set up with help from IHS, UNICEF, and the Canadian government.
Dr. Mohammed Sambo, head of the Bauchi State Hospital Management Board, told reporters that deaths of mothers and children—especially due to pneumonia and breathing problems in babies—are major concerns in the state.
He said the COVID-19 pandemic showed that Nigeria’s healthcare system had serious problems, especially in the supply of medical oxygen.
In response, international partners stepped in to help fix the problem.
Dr. Sambo explained that after the pandemic, data showed there was a worldwide oxygen shortage, and Nigeria was affected too. UNICEF, IHS, and Canada supported the setup of oxygen plants in some states, including Bauchi.
He said the first oxygen plant was set up at General Hospital Azare. This location was chosen because most people rely on secondary hospitals, which are more affordable and easier to access.
By placing the plant in a secondary hospital, more ordinary people could benefit. Since it started working, it has served General Hospital Azare and also the Federal Medical Centre, Azare. There are plans to supply oxygen to nearby hospitals too.
Dr. Sambo said there are now three oxygen plants in Bauchi—one each in Azare, Ningi, and Misau—to serve different regions of the state.
He said these plants are already saving lives, especially for pregnant women who need oxygen during surgeries, children under five, and patients in emergencies.
He also said that the oxygen plants are not meant to make money. Instead, the cost of oxygen is set to cover maintenance and future replacements, making the system sustainable and affordable.
However, he pointed out that there’s a shortage of trained biomedical engineers to maintain the plants. He encouraged young Nigerians to study this field to support the system in the future.
Despite these challenges, he praised the engineers currently running the plants and said training programs are ongoing to teach more health workers how to operate and take care of the facilities.
Many health experts believe that these oxygen plants have made Bauchi’s healthcare system better and are helping to reduce deaths that can be prevented, especially among mothers and children.
Dr. Bello Idris, the top doctor at General Hospital Azare, also confirmed that the oxygen plant supported by Canada and IHS has helped reduce deaths of mothers and children.
He explained that the oxygen plant has helped treat many women and children with breathing problems like pneumonia, asthma, and chronic lung diseases.
Dr. Idris added that the plant provides oxygen for free or at a very low cost, which has stopped many patients from being sent to distant hospitals. This saves poor families money and stress.
He said oxygen is very important for treating children with pneumonia. Before the plant, such children were often sent to other hospitals. Now, the hospital can treat them right there, reducing deaths and serious health problems.
The hospital sees about 2,500 patients each month, and over half of them are children. Out of these, 200 to 300 children usually need oxygen for respiratory problems.
Before the plant, the hospital didn’t have enough oxygen, even in the operating room. Staff had to refer urgent cases to other hospitals.
Now, with the plant, surgeries can be done safely with anesthesia, and children with severe pneumonia can be treated without needing to travel. This saves families time, money, and stress.
Dr. Idris admitted that maintaining the oxygen plant is still a challenge.
He said that an agreement has been made between UNICEF and the Bauchi State Government to keep the plant running. Both the hospital board and the Ministry of Health will help with maintenance even after donor support ends.
He added that the plant has turned their hospital into a referral center, as patients are now being sent there from other hospitals in and outside Bauchi State to receive oxygen.
Bara’atu Kinging, who works in the Special Baby Care unit of the Teaching Hospital in Azare, said newborns used to face serious risks because there was no oxygen before the plant was built.
She said that in the past, the hospital had to travel over 100 kilometers to get oxygen for emergencies. This often put babies’ lives in danger.
She explained that not having oxygen during emergencies was very stressful, especially when trying to save newborns who needed it right away.
She added that oxygen is critical in the first few minutes of life. Without it, babies have little chance of survival. Before, they had oxygen concentrators, but they weren’t enough during emergencies.
Now that the oxygen plant is in Azare, it is much easier to get oxygen, and more newborns are surviving.
She said the stress of finding oxygen has reduced, and fewer babies are dying. More babies now have a better chance of surviving.
Philip Gabriel, the biomedical engineer in charge of the oxygen plant at General Hospital Azare, said the plant produces about 62 cylinders of oxygen (each 36.5 liters) every day.
He said the plant had challenges at the beginning, but donor support helped improve technical training and made operations better.
Now, the plant meets the hospital’s needs and also helps nearby health centers by refilling their oxygen cylinders.
Gabriel said that more people still need to know about medical oxygen, so the hospital board and oxygen committee are working to spread awareness and improve access.
However, he said that poor electricity supply is a big problem. The plant runs only on diesel generators, which makes the oxygen more expensive.
He suggested that switching to solar or reliable electricity would lower costs. He said other states like Kano have done this, and it can be done in Bauchi too.
