Shortage of medical oxygen in Nakuru County will soon be a thing of the past following the construction of an oxygen production plant at the Nakuru Level 5 Teaching and Referral Hospital.
The modern plant will be producing 2,000 litres of oxygen per minute and will have a 660kva standby generator to ensure an uninterruptible power supply in the event of a KPLC blackout.
The construction of the superstructures to house the plant and powerhouse is over 90 per cent done. The standby generator and oxygen production equipment arrived in the country early this month.
During the groundbreaking ceremony in August last year, Mr Hillary Kosgei, the Technical Director at Debra Limited said the dual system will ensure uninterruptible Oxygen supply in the event one unit breaks down.
“When the demand for medical Oxygen is low, one machine can rest and this will enhance durability. One unit can refill 48 oxygen cylinders in 24hrs, which is enough to run a hospital,” he stated.
Once complete, Nakuru will be the second County to have such a high-yielding medical oxygen plant in Kenya. The other is found in Uasin Gishu at the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in Eldoret.
The facility will supplement the 1,200 tonnes capacity per minute plant at the hospital, which is jointly run under public-private partnerships by Hewa Tele Limited and Nakuru County.
The construction of the medical oxygen plant is in line with Governor Lee Kinyanjui’s manifesto of improving the state of healthcare services in the region.
Governor Lee’s administration is increasing the intensive care unit and staff capabilities to enable the County to deal with medical emergencies, such as the COVID-19 pandemic and others.
