AfricaPress-Tanzania: THE Benjamin Mkapa Hospital (BMH) plans to set up an oxygen production plant for medical treatment in the Central Zone and neighbouring regions.
Oxygen is used for anaesthesia in operating theatres and mobile emergency vehicles for ventilating patients.
BMH Executive Director, Dr Alphonce Chandika, revealed this at the weekend, pointing out that the public hospital had already submitted a project proposal to the Ministry of Health, Community Development, Gender, Elderly and Children.
“The plant will provide us with oxygen for medical treatment and we will be able to supply to other hospitals in the Central Zone and neighbouring regions,” said the executive director while briefing Deputy Minister for Health, Community Development, Gender, Elderly and Children, Dr Godwin Mollel.
Dr Mollel, who replaced Dr Faustine Ndugulile in the post following a recent mini-reshuffle made President John Magufuli, was on his official tour of public hospitals in Dodoma.
Dr Chandika said presently BMH depended on the service from a single supplier based in Kilimanjaro Region, posing a serious challenge. He said the plant would address a challenge of oxygen at BMH and other hospitals in the Central Zone.
“We came up with an idea of setting up an oxygen production plant due to a serious challenge of its availability in the Central Zone because all hospitals depend on the single supplier based in Kilimanjaro Region,” he said.
Dr Chandika informed further that plans were underway for BMH to set up a blood bank which would also facilitate bone marrow transplant at the hospital, noting that the service would be introduced, thanks to the support of an Italy-based university.
“The service for bone marrow transplant has been delayed because of the outbreak of coronavirus,” he noted.
For his part, Deputy Minister for Health, Community Development, Gender, Elderly and Children, Dr Godwin Mollel, commended Dr Chandika for good plans geared towards enhancing services at BMH.
He urged the BMH staff to cooperate with the executive director for good plans to materialise.
