FORTUNE+ VIDEO SPONSORED CONTENTS ADVERTORIALS FORTUNE AUDIO Fortune Careers New TRADE AFRICA New

Fortune Logo
The oxygen production centre at Felege Hiwot Referral Hospital in Bahir Dar can produce 120 cylinders of medical oxygen per day.

Two medical oxygen production plants, built at a cost of 2.5 million dollars, were inaugurated on April 4, 2019 in Amhara Regional State in Dessie and Bahir Dar. The facility in Bahir Dar is expected to serve seven hospitals in the western Gojjam Zone.

The project took two years to complete and was financed by GE Foundation, Grand Challenge Canada and the Amhara Region Health Bureau. The inauguration ceremony was attended by  President Sahle-work Zewde; Amir Aman (MD), minister of Heath; and Ambachew Mekonnen (PhD), president of the Amhara Regional State.

The US-based, more than century-old philanthropic organisation, GE Foundation, contributed 1.7 million dollars used to procure machines and trucks as part of its Safe Surgery 2020 Initiative program launched four years ago.

While Grand Challenges Canada contributed 750,000 dollars to train operators at the centre, the Bureau financed the construction of internal facilities where the machines are housed.


The oxygen production centre at Felege Hiwot Referral Hospital in Bahir Dar can produce 120 cylinders of medical oxygen per day.

Dalberg Advisors, a consulting firm, trained 17 biomedical engineers last January on how to operate the machines and seven were hired following the training.

"We have been working since February to produce 30 to 40 cylinders a day,” said Sintayehu Kelemu, one of the trainees now working at the Bahir Dar plant inside the premises of Felege Hiwot Hospital.


Felege Hiwot Hospital purchases oxygen tanks at an average cost of 380 Br each when purchased from Abaymado Oxygen Production or Chora Gas & Chemical Products Factory.

Although tariffs have not been established, the hospital is bound to be able to save on transportation costs, according to Shegaw Maru (MD), medical director of the Hospital.


The new medical oxygen production plants, capable of producing 120 cylinders of oxygen a day when fully operational, bring the total number of such facilities in Ethiopia to six out of a total target of 13 planned to be built by September 2020, according to the Ministry of Health.

The other medical oxygen production centres are located in Hayder Referral Hospital in Meqelle, Jimma University Hospital, St. Paul's Hospital and Hawassa University Hospital.

The plants will start full operation once issues dealing with human resources, maintenance and electrical work are resolved, according to Abebaw Gebeyehu (MD), head of the Bureau.

Medical oxygen is critical in providing proper medical services, especially during surgeries and childbirth and for critical conditions, according to Tadele Bogale(MD), who was project leader for safe surgery from 2016 to 2018.


"Some patients that could be operated an in the region are forced to travel to Addis Abeba simply because of a lack of medical oxygen,” Tadelle said.

The level of purity for medical oxygen is higher than that in industrial oxygen, Tadele added.


PUBLISHED ON Apr 06,2019 [ VOL 19 , NO 988]

How useful was this post?

Click on a star to rate it!

Average rating 3 / 5. Vote count: 2

No votes so far! Be the first to rate this post.



Related Posts

[ssba-buttons]

Put your comments here

N.B: A submit button will appear once you fill out all the required fields.

Editors' Pick

Exclusive Interviews

State Enterprises from Oracles to Apprentices

Dec 22 , 2024 . By TIZITA SHEWAFERAW

Charged with transforming colossal state-owned enterprises into modern and competitiv...

Agenda

Rising Costs, Inflation Threaten Insurance Industry

Aug 18 , 2024 . By AKSAH ITALO

Although predictable Yonas Zerihun's job in the ride-hailing service is not immune to...

Agenda

BREWING DISCONTENT

Jul 28 , 2024 . By TIZITA SHEWAFERAW

Unhabitual, perhaps too many, Samuel Gebreyohannes, 38, used to occasionally enjoy a couple of beers at breakfast. However, he recently swit...

Fortune News

Electric Vehicle Push Leaves Investors in the Lurch

Jul 13 , 2024 . By AKSAH ITALO

Investors who rely on tractors, trucks, and field vehicles for commuting, transporting commodities, and f...

Commentaries

Productivity Gains Depend on Bold Firms, Not Broad Reform

Few doubt that productivity growth is good for society. It generally translates into...

War on Malaria Winnable But Africa Needs a Plan to End It

Despite being preventable and curable, malaria has continued to claim African lives....

Fineline

Leaders of the National . . .

Leaders of the National Election Board are in a charm offensive mood, of a sort. Last week, they organised a rare tour for members of the me...

When the country’s most. . .

When the country's most senior diplomats and envoys return back to their posts after two-week debriefings, they leave behind a point or two...

Editorial

Courting Foreign Buyers of Properties While Land Remains State-Owned

May 31 , 2025

It is seldom flattering to be bracketed with North Korea and Myanmar. Ironically, Eth...

A Country on Life Support Must Not Neglect Its Healers

May 24 , 2025

Public hospitals have fallen eerily quiet lately. Corridors once crowded with patient...

Researchers Churn Out Studies by the Ton. Quality Checks are Causality

May 17 , 2025

Ethiopia pours more than three billion Birr a year into academic research, yet too mu...

Ethiopia's Aid Reckoning Demands a Homegrown Rescue Plan

May 10 , 2025

Federal legislators recently summoned Shiferaw Teklemariam (PhD), head of the Disaste...

Gallery

Parliament Approves New Cabinet Members

Oct 6 , 2021

Parliament Approves New Cabinet, Incorporates Opposition Leaders Lawmakers have approved today the nominations of 22 ministers, including three opposition leaders. Two MPs have voted against, while 12 abstained...

2020 in Posterity

Jan 5 , 2021

TIGRAY VOTES DESPITE "NULL & VOID" THREAT

Sep 9 , 2020

IN-PICTURE: LAUREATE'S RECEPTION  

Dec 14 , 2019

PM Abiy Ahmed (PhD) at a Gala Dinner Called for the Awarding of the Félix Houphouët-Boigny Peace Prize

May 6 , 2019

Faces, Voices of Addis Abeba

Apr 26 , 2019

Sunday With Eden

A Dream Taxed to Death

Six years ago, a dear friend took a leap. He poured his life savings into building a business not for quick profits, but to create something...

The Subtler African Stories Lodged in Luxury

Every family has its ritual, one that bookmarks the year and brings everyone back to center. For ours, it...

Life Matters

The Dangers We Brew

It is unsettling how often news surfaces of everyday household items leading to accidents, some unexpected, others devastating. A recent rep...

Healing the Healers

Reliable information about the recent strike by health professionals in Ethiopia has proven elusive. The public discourse is muddied by sens...