Nigeria loses 600,000 lives annually over medical oxygen administration issues

Nigeria is losing an estimated 600,000 lives each year because of problems related to the administration of medical oxygen, stated Professor Jesse Uneke, Vice Chancellor of David Umahi Federal University of Health Sciences (DUFUS). Uneke, who also leads the EQUI-RESP Africa Research Project in Nigeria, revealed this figure during a stakeholders' engagement event in Abakaliki.

The critical issue, Uneke explained, stems from the absence of a dedicated platform for stakeholders in the medical oxygen sector to collaborate. Such a platform, he believes, is essential for discussing the interface between research and policy, and for contextualizing strategies to combat the existing problems within Nigeria.

"That is why, in this phase of this project, we have decided to start with this kind of stakeholders’ engagement. I am excited that we have every key stakeholder in the medical oxygen space represented here," Uneke said. The EQUI-RESP project, a collaboration between DUFUS and the University of Edinburgh, supported by the UK's National Institute for Health and Research (NIHR), aims to improve respiratory health outcomes.

The project's first phase involved intervention work in three industrial areas of Ebonyi State: a quarry site, a rice mill, and a timber market. Here, the project provided free treatment, including inhalers and diagnoses, to between 300 and 400 individuals, offering guidance on maintaining respiratory health. Nigeria is one of five African countries selected for this significant global health initiative, with two centers in Nigeria, one in Ebonyi State and another in Lagos State.

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That is why, in this phase of this project, we have decided to start with this kind of stakeholders’ engagement. I am excited that we have every key stakeholder in the medical oxygen space represented here.