The Kwara State Governor, Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq has refurbished the state’s oxygen plant to tackle the problem of Corona virus in the state.
The revamped facility bolsters Kwara capabilities to manage Coronavirus (COVID-19) patients who may require ventilators for a lifeline.
Other facilities at the isolation centre include; 10 Ventilators that are working, Patients Monitors, Refrigerators, ICU beds and Mattresses – expanded to more than 60 facilities and quarantine space that is up to 1000 beds space.
Kwara State currently has four cases of COVID-19 –Two males and two females.
“This facility comes handy at this time. If for whatever reason any of our patients require oxygen, Kwara does not need to buy oxygen from any private sources or other states.
“In fact, the plant’s capacity is such that we can sell to private hospitals and some other states. Yesterday, we supported the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (UITH) with 13 small cylinders and one big cylinder of oxygen,” Abdulrazaq said while briefing journalists in Ilorin.
According to the Governor, Kwara had no ventilator until now, but the recovered loot became useful in the face of dwindling allocations arising from the global oil crisis.
Abdulrazaq, revealed that his administration is now working on having an isolation centre in Offa after which another would be created in General Hospital Kaiama.
The Governor, however, commended the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for helping the state to recover looted funds which have become useful in the campaign against COVID-19.
Abdulrazaq, explained that the recovered funds strengthened Kwara’s ability to put in place necessary facilities, among other counter-COVID-19 efforts, saying “We have bought five new ambulances (three on the ground and two are on the way). We have 10 ventilators now and we expect to have 30 by the end of the month and that’s one of the highest in the country today. We now have a mobile x-ray machine too.”
Meanwhile, Ben Babatunde, Engineer and the plant manager, said the oxygen now has 93% purity level and can fill 24 (7mm) oxygen cylinders in one day.
The facility has only worked for 56,156 hours (six years four months) cumulatively since it was established in 2004.
However, Kayode Alabi, Deputy Governor and Chairman Technical Committe on COVID 19, disclosed that “we have carried out a total of 42 tests, 29 of which were negative. As I said earlier, we have four confirmed cases. Three of them show no symptoms. Only one is showing some symptoms but is stable.
Of these four cases, one is a contact of the index case. The other was a patient at the UITH but now at the state’s isolation centre.
There is a risk of community transmission which must be curtailed. The good news is that our rapid response team is in firm control of the situation — thanks to the support of the NCDC team led by own son Shuaib Belgore and the COVID-19 Committee.
We continue to appreciate our health workers for their priceless contributions to this effort. We urge the people of Kwara State to remain patient. We call for increased personal hygiene. This is the time for everyone to take responsibility for our individual and collective health,” Alabi told journalists at a press briefing on Tuesday.
SIKIRAT SHEHU, Ilorin
