Nigeria's Oxygen Shortage Causes 600,000 Annual Deaths

Prof. Jesse Uneke, the Nigerian and State Lead/Principal Investigator of the EQUI-RESP Africa Research Project and Vice Chancellor of David Umahi Federal University of Health Sciences (DUFUHS), reported that Nigeria records over 600,000 deaths annually due to issues related to access to and administration of medical oxygen.

This statement was made during the First Stakeholders’ Engagement and Co-Creation Workshop on the Medical Oxygen Economy held in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State. The workshop was organized under the EQUI-RESP Africa Research Project, in collaboration with the University of Edinburgh and supported by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), UK.

Uneke emphasized that many oxygen-related deaths are preventable and highlighted the need for regular engagement among health sector stakeholders. The project, which has progressed to its second phase, aims to strengthen the oxygen economy in healthcare facilities.

Prof. Robinson Onoh, Chief Medical Director of Alex Ekwueme Federal University Teaching Hospital, commended the establishment of oxygen production facilities in Ebonyi State, which were previously lacking.