Two oxygen generator manufacturing plants were opened in Bhutan today to strengthen the resilience of the healthcare system and improve emergency preparedness and response capabilities across the country.
Pressure-swing adsorption (PSA) units have been installed at Jigme Dorji Wangchuk National Referral Hospital in the capital Thimphu and Mongla Regional Referral Hospital, an important regional tertiary care facility.
Ms. Dasho Dechen Wangmo, Minister of Health of Bhutan, speaking at the event organized to mark the opening of the oxygen plant, said: “I am grateful to Regional Director Dr. Poonam Khetrapal Singh for emphasizing that oxygen is a vital commodity for people. Today our greatest satisfaction is the ability to produce oxygen. We look forward to more meaningful collaboration with WHO, our most valued health partner.
At the request of the Ministry of Health of Bhutan, WHO provided specifications and funding for the project, and equipment was purchased from a company in Slovakia and installed by a technical assistant in Nepal.
The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed huge gaps in medical oxygen systems around the world, leading to tragic consequences that cannot be replicated. “We must therefore work together to ensure that medical oxygen systems in all countries can withstand the worst shocks, as outlined in our regional roadmap for health security and health system emergency response,” she said.
The regional director said: “These O2 plants will help improve the resilience of health systems… not only to combat outbreaks of respiratory diseases such as COVID-19 and pneumonia, but also a range of conditions including sepsis, injury and complications during pregnancy or childbirth.”