OXYGEN IS LIFE: LIBERIA COMMISSIONS ITS LARGEST MEDICAL OXYGEN PLANT AT THE STAR BASE FACILITY ON BUSHROD ISLAND

The current COVID-19 pandemic and the Ebola virus disease are just two of the major shocks that Liberia's health system has experienced. Lessons from these public health events have shown how critical it is to create resilient health systems with an efficient service delivery component for better health outcomes.

Liberia has successfully installed its largest oxygen plant on Bushrod Island, located at the Star Base facility, with support from WHO, the governments of Germany, the United States, and Canada.

Speaking during the commissioning event of the plant, His Excellency President George Weah described the facility as a major milestone for the health sector in ensuring quality health care to Liberian communities—reaching the last mile.

"This is a reaffirmation of my administration's commitment to bring more health services to our communities, as we attempt to increase access to universal health coverage and protect the population from public health threats under the Pro Poor Agenda for Prosperity and Development (PAPD)."

The Liberian leader couldn't hide his excitement over the incredible strides the country is making on COVID-19 vaccination and thanked all Liberians for cooperating with the government and adhering to health protocols.

"Our journey towards building herd immunity against the pandemic is also in full swing. Liberia is winning the battle on this front; with the vaccination coverage reported as being above 76%; placing our country in the 3rd position on the African continent," said President Weah.

In his welcoming remarks, Dr. Clement Peter, WHO Liberia Representative, was grateful to the Liberian government for prioritizing health for all, and now the country has a high - capacity Medical Pressure Swing Absorption (PSA) oxygen plant that will produce 100 cylinders per day at 93% purity, an upgrade from the status quo.

"Many countries, including Liberia, felt the demand of oxygen and ICUs during the 2020/2021 COVID-19 waves. Other medical conditions that needed oxygen were barely prioritized due to its scarcity, resulting in added risk of adverse outcomes. Indeed, we faced an unforgettable struggle between life and death on account of oxygen scarcity, " narrated Dr. Peter.

The United Nations Resident Coordinator in Liberia, Mr. Neils Scott, congratulated President Weah on the great achievement and progress made in containing the COVID-19 pandemic.

"COVID-19, as we all know, is unpredictable, and so it calls for collective and sustained efforts to drastically minimize its effect on our health, our economy, and our survival. As we stand here, the progress we see gives us hope for the future. The pandemic has taught us that investing in the health system must be at the centre of development. Health is a prerequisite; it's a gateway to security, peace, and prosperity," said Mr. Scott.

In his conclusion, he reaffirmed the UN's commitment to the Liberian people in ensuring no one is left behind.

Dr. Wilhelmina Jallah, the Minister of Health, stated that the facility will address the country's long-standing issue of inadequate oxygen supply in major hospitals. The medicinal oxygen supplied by the Star Base Plant, according to Dr. Jallah, will be helpful for patients who have surgical operations, asthma, or are otherwise unable to breathe; medical oxygen is a life-saving commodity.

"As we all say, water is life, but I will say oxygen is life because when you need oxygen and it is not there-then you are no more. This plant is the largest in the country and will serve almost two million people given its production capacity ", said Dr. Jallah.

The Health Minister also applauded the WHO, the government of Germany, the USA, Canada and other partners for supporting the project. In attendance were cabinet Ministers, Chairs of health committees in the Senate and House of Representatives, Senior Government officials, Traditional leaders and development partners. In 2020–2021, the Ministry of Health, with assistance from partners, conducted an assessment of the oxygen generation, supply, and distribution capacity in Liberia to support COVID–19 preparedness and response. The assessment revealed critical gaps in the system as Liberia only had 3 operational oxygen plants with a daily production capacity of 30–40 cylinders. A single patient in need of oxygen therapy during the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic required at least 15 liters of oxygen daily, which meant only 3/4 severely ill patients benefited from the oxygen generated in a day. The government and partners recognized this as a major gap, which led to the creation of a plan to increase medical oxygen production, delivery, and use in Liberia.

WHO supported the renovation of a building to serve as a shed for the plant, a training centre for health workers, the construction of a 665 perimeter fence, a generator house, and the procurement and installation of a 150KVA generator at Star Base. All this has been possible with support from the governments of Germany, the United States of America and Canada. Additionally, the United States government is also supporting the World Health Organization (WHO) through USAID with the establishment of another oxygen plant in Bomi County, which when completed will supply oxygen to medical facilities in Bomi, Grand Cape Mount, and Gbarpolu counties.

Communications OfficerPhone : (231) 775704529Email: nangwalel [at] who.int