Medical oxygen production plant – an innovative step

Interior of the new medical oxygen plant at St. Ann’s Bay Hospital.

This The recently opened medical oxygen plant at St. Anne’s Bay Regional Hospital is a cause for great appreciation as it reflects the innovative approach we have been championing in this field for years.

The facility, owned and operated by the Government of Jamaica, is the fulfilment of a promise made two years ago by Minister of Health and Wellness Dr Christopher Tufton when the country was grappling with a shortage of medical oxygen at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

We remember well the anxiety and panic that this experience caused, as COVID-19 patients urgently needed oxygen and the government had to rush to provide it, as the only local supplier was having some difficulties.

Last Thursday, Dr Tufton spoke with justifiable pride at the plant’s commissioning, emphasising that its impact will be far-reaching.

“This is a historic moment because it is part of the transformation that we have begun and that we are continuing to undertake,” Dr. Tufton told the guests, who included the head of cooperation of the High Commissioner of Canada, Mr. Shehryar Sawar, and the representative of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Ms. Olda Isza.

They both attended the ceremony because the facility received funding from the Government of Canada and UNICEF – two great friends of Jamaica who constantly help us in many ways and whose cooperation and generosity are greatly appreciated.

Dr. Tufton told us the plant will provide up to 530 liters of medical oxygen per minute at peak flow. It also has the capacity to fill up to 137 20-liter cylinders in 24 hours. This means the plant can produce medical oxygen for St. Ann and the entire Northeast region. This will make more oxygen available for delivery to beds.

While we acknowledge that there are areas in the public healthcare system where problems still exist, we cannot deny the fact that this facility is undoubtedly a credit to Jamaica and contributes to the growing list of achievements in the sector in recent times.

It is already known that the actions of the administration aimed at significant modernization of public hospitals are effective. We expect that these works will be properly carried out, completed and will not exceed the budget.

In addition to infrastructure upgrades, we recall that just a few months ago we had reason to commend our authorities and health workers for the work they did to effectively eliminate mother-to-child transmission of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and syphilis.

At the time, we pointed out that only 19 countries and territories in the world had been certified as having eliminated mother-to-child transmission of HIV and/or syphilis, 11 of which were in the Americas. This statistic only underlines the significance of Jamaica reaching this milestone.

Success in this area has brought Jamaica closer to achieving global health goals. Fewer new infections, we repeat, means less strain on the health system, freeing up resources that can be redirected to other critical areas of public health.

Having our own medical oxygen plant will certainly contribute to strengthening Jamaica’s position as a leader in public health and enhance our reputation internationally.

Congratulations to everyone who contributed to the creation of this facility.