Nakuru County requires an additional Ksh.6 million to fully operationalize an oxygen plant that is capable of producing 2000 tonnes of oxygen daily.
The county government spent Ksh.124 million on the project, which began in August 2021 at the height of the COVID-19 Pandemic.
A visit to the Nakuru Referral and Teaching Hospital plant revealed that the project's first phase, the plant's construction, is complete.
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After choosing a new site that is strategically positioned and can supply oxygen to the Regional Cancer Centre, Margaret Kenyatta Mother-Baby Wing, new Outpatient Department, Theatre, and Wards, the developers abandoned their previous site where the groundbreaking ceremony took place on August 4, 2021.
The plant, which produces 2000 liters of oxygen per minute, only operates at 20% capacity, supplying oxygen to the Nakuru Referral and Teaching Hospital.
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However, an extra Ksh.6 million is necessary for the project's second phase, piping, which will bring oxygen directly to the patients. The funds are in the approved Nakuru County Budget for Fiscal Year 2023/2024.
The Oxygen plant employs an integrated technology known as Pressure Swing Absorption (PSA) to manufacture medicinal oxygen.
Nakuru Referral Hospital needed 140 Oxygen Cylinders before construction began to meet the needs of COVID-19 patients. Due to increased demand, health facilities relied on Hewa Tele Oxygen Plant, which was insufficient.
Former Nakuru Deputy Governor Dr. Eric Korir underlined the importance of completing the oxygen plant during the groundbreaking ceremony in August 2021.
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The Oxygen plant, once operational, will provide oxygen to the neighboring counties of Nyandarua, Bomet, Samburu, Baringo, Kericho, and Narok.
After another plant at Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH) Eldoret, the Oxygen plant will be the second of its sort in the Rift Valley Region.
