Takoradi Gas installs oxygen at Effia-Nkwanta Hospital

An industrial gas producing firm, Takoradi Gas, has installed an automated medical oxygen supply unit at the COVID-19 treatment centre at the Effia-Nkwanta Regional Hospital in the Sekondi-Takoradi metropolis.

The gas, which will be supplied freely, replaces the manual system of oxygen supply at the Infectious Disease Unit (IDU) of the hospital, which is able to accommodate 16 patients at a time.

The  IDU is the main COVID-19 treatment centre at the hospital and it receives and manages critical cases.

It has eight ventilators it uses in managing critical cases at the facility.

Free oxygen

Due to high cost, the hospital is currently struggling to replenish its stock of medical oxygen, hence the intervention by Takoradi Gas to give it free supply in support of the fight against COVID-19.

The gesture to provide free oxygen will be indefinite and will entail the use of a new 16-pack automatic cylinder system capable of serving all patients on admission at the same time. The system also has a simple way of replacing empty bottles.

The Medical Director of the Effia Nkwanta Regional Hospital, Dr Joseph Kojo Tambil, described the gesture as life-saving.

He said medical oxygen was a critical requirement in managing the devastating effects of the COVID-19, which was currently on the ascendancy worldwide.

He said “the company’s intervention is timely – previously, we used single bottles which had to be replaced manually and in times of changing empty bottles for new ones, the critically ill patient would be without oxygen”.

“Sometimes, during critical moments  when the gas in use gets finished, there would be no one to help lift the heavy bottle into position for oxygen supply to the patient to continue. Therefore, the 16-pack automatic system from Takoradi Gas is a lifesaver,” he said.

Dr Tambil said medical oxygen was also an important component in the management of cases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, cyanosis, shock, severe haemorrhage, carbon monoxide poisoning, major trauma, cardiac and respiratory arrests and aids in resuscitation and providing life support for patients on artificial ventilation.

The Medical Director of the Effia Nkwanta Regional Hospital commended Takoradi Gas for not only delivering the much-needed oxygen but also adding personal protection equipment (PPE), chemicals and other items needed for the welfare of both patients and staff at the hospital.

The Human Resource Manager at Takoradi Gas, Mr Frederick Amakye, presented the items to the hospital.

He said the devastating effect of COVID-19 required support from all to help the country and the rest of the world at large return to normal life.

“We see our move to support at this critical moment, when cases of the disease are on the rise in the region and the country, as a call to duty. We at Takoradi Gas are doing the little we can to support the fight against the disease,” he said.

High cost of production

Mr Amakye said the company was willing to supply medical oxygen to health facilities across the country at a very cheap price, but that had not been possible due to the high cost of electricity that was used in producting the gas.

“If the government, through the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), can do something about the high tariffs we have to pay, it will go a long way to reduce the cost of medical oxygen”.

He nonetheless assured the hospital of the company’s commitment to supply it with oxygen indefinitely in order for it to safely manage patients.