• The oxygen task force said the government should introduce higher supply capacity Pressure Swing Absorption plants at regional level.
• PSA oxygen generating plants are a source of medical-grade oxygen.
Image: file
The government must expand its capacity to acquire and distribute oxygen to hospitals, an advisory panel has said.
It said the government needs to expand distribution systems to allow multiple patients to receive oxygen therapy at the same time.
The oxygen task force said the government should introduce higher supply capacity Pressure Swing Absorption plants at regional level. PSA oxygen generating plants are a source of medical-grade oxygen.
The committee further recommended that the government engages the private sector to address the emergency.
The Oxygen Task Force Committee said the government must engage the private sector to ensure consistent availability and promote manufacturing of the gas's accessories and consumables.
The team was unveiled on April 8.
Medical oxygen is an essential commodity in the management of Covid-19, especially for severe cases requiring breathing support.
Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe said oxygen production plants are not able to meet the growing demand.
He highlighted the findings of the task force before the National Assembly’s Departmental Committee on Health.
“For instance in Nakuru, the PSA plant produces approximately 80 cylinders daily to serve four isolation public and private facilities with a bed capacity of approximately 120 beds. In the past two months, the oxygen need has surged from less than 50 to over 200 cylinders required per day,” Kagwe stated.
He added that due to the high demand, the cost of oxygen has also increased, requiring counties to supplement their investments.
Kagwe said cylinders are also unavailable for a refill as they serve single patients.
The committee said the private sector providers of medical grade oxygen said up to 20,000 cylinders are in the market.
Even with the availability of oxygen, delivery to hospitals may be compromised.
The task force noted that all isolation facilities have some form of oxygen availability, in the form of Pressure Swing Absorption plants, cylinders, liquid oxygen and concentrators.
The committee established there are 64 PSA plants in 40 counties with 80 per cent of them being at county referral hospitals. PSA mostly serve ICUs and HDUs
The government said Kenyans are hoarding thousands of cylinders in their households. Each oxygen cylinder is estimated to cost Sh40,000.
“We have about 20,000 oxygen cylinders that are out there in people’s homes, hospitals, and other institutions. These cylinders are required back in the industry immediately.
“We are appealing to all those holding oxygen cylinders to immediately return them so that companies can supply oxygen to our hospitals,” Kagwe told a press conference last month.
“Last year the total production and requirement for the industry were about 410 tons, which went up to 560 tons around January 2021. Our demand has gone up to 880 tons now, while the industry is already over-stretched,” he added.
(edited by o. owino)