OXYGEN REFILLING PLANT FOR RURAL FACILITIES

Project overview

The establishment of Oxygen-Refilling Plant especially for Rural health Facilities of the Christian Health Association of Liberia is to provide emergency lifesaving support and relief services for patients in need especially those with upper respiratory diseases, Victims of road and other accidents, those with complicated pregnancies, depressed newborns, children and adults with pneumonia, and most recently, those suffering from viral diseases such as Ebola and the on-going Covid 19 cases in which cases victims have difficulty breathing and need such services. The need for oxygen therapy is great and services are lacking or limited especially in rural Liberia. The history of the use of oxygen in Liberia has come full circle, from years past when its application was seen as a death sentence to recent time when it is seen as last hope for a patient in distress. In years past whenever oxygen was applied to a patient, young and old, his or her Care – Taker (often a mother, wife or other close family member), would immediately leave the hospital to inform the rest that the patient had no chance.

In recent times, especially with HIV, Ebola and now Covid, that has changed. Parents and other family members no longer see the use of oxygen as a death sentence. They now welcome, encourage, and can even request for the application of oxygen for their relatives in distress.  Oxygen application is now   seen as lifesaving therapy. Unfortunately, the supply of oxygen tanks is often limited, especially in rural parts of the country. The demand is high, not only for HIV, Ebola and Covid, but also for victims of road traffic accidents, patients with upper respiratory diseases, premature babies, and other maternal complications. These are what has necessitated this application for the global grant.

Benefit of the establishment of the oxygen plant in central part of Liberia,

The establishment of this oxygen plant in central and rural Liberia will supply multiple facilities.  Especially, due to its strategic location. As Bong County being the central of Liberia and with the existence of CHAL Medical Drugs depot being in the heart of the city center and with proximity to most of the rural facilities. CHAL Drugs Depot is serving as hub for the distance facilities from Lofa, Nimba and the Southeast of Liberia.

How the project intends to address community needs.

arising, whether be it accident, or on lifesaving support and relief services for patients in need especially those with upper respiratory diseases, victims of road and other accidents, those with complicated pregnancies, depressed newborns, children and adults with pneumonia, as well as those suffering from viral diseases such as Ebola The huge economic burden faced by the health facilities to procure oxygen cylinders to serve people with critical emergency needs is already a challenge for most of the rural health facilities couple with bad road network which impedes timely delivery of refilled cylinder makes it extremely impossible to save lives in time. With the establishment and availability of oxygen plant within close proximity to the rural health facilities, the issue of scarcity of supply of oxygen and refilling of cylinders will be mitigated appropriately, thereby addressing any emergency need and the on-going Covid 19 cases.

The oxygen plant project will make oxygen available for those who need it. A situation which once viewed as a death sentence by patients’ caretakers has now become a source of hope and is craved for by both patients’ caretakers and health care providers. Communities need quality health to enable them to cater to other needs they cannot do while sick.

How Project Intends to Measure success or track maternal and neonatal outcomes, morbidity and mortality.

Success will be monitored through all of the below,

• Oxygen demand and supply
• Tracking oxygen use per department obstetric, pediatric, and medical surgical and emergency room (ER).
• Responsible parties will be all health care providers providing data for departmental and institutional monthly, quarterly, and annual reports.

FULL PROJECT BUDGET

No.	Qty.	Description	Supplier	Cost in local currency	Cost in USD
				Not applicable.
1	1	The Oxygen Refilling Plant (Medical Oxygen Plant CFS -3, 3Nm3/h at (93%) with cylinder filling system (12 PCs cylinder/day)			$27,915.00
2	4	Air Conditioner (4 PCs) 12000 BTU			$1,800.00
3	1	Perkins Generator, 60 KVA			$13,800.0
4	1	Construction of Warehouse			$30,761.90
5		Spare Cylinder Tanks			4000.00

6		Running Cost (Generator Fuel for One Year)			15,897.60
7		Running Cost (Generator Maintenance for one Year)			900.00
8		Running Cost (Air Condition Maintenance for one year)			900.00
9		Personal (Recruitment 2 staff for one year)			6,000
10		Training (Oxygen Power Plant and Equipment Management (2 Cycles)			1000.00
11		Office Maintenance (sanitation, toiletries)			$300.00
12		Local Customs Clearing Cost			4,700.00
13		TOTAL COST			$107.974.50

Key programmatic updates

Challenges faced and proposed solutions

The major key challenge experienced with execution of this project is the component that obligates the local implementing partner to raise the needed funding for the construction of the building that is to host the oxygen equipment. On numerous occasions it becomes extremely difficult to find other donors to assist fund other projects that they are not the major donors to, especially so, that much of the credit will not be attributed to them. Your success story is attributed to your main donor. At this juncture, the local implementing partner is sometimes found in a deli-ma, either to lose the project or delay the implementing schedule in the quest to raise the funds somehow. 

Since the building to host the plant is one of the most cardinal component of the oxygen project, and since the building has specific standards and design that local partner wishing to work with Rotary cannot use any ordinary existing building if they had, Rotary could employ the following mechanism to making this generous gesture a full package;

1.   Rotary could amend their policy and incorporate support for the construction of a building that is to be used to host the Medical Oxygen Equipment, that way Rotary will be providing a full-one stop shop package to the people or community identified to be in need.

2. Rotary could partner with like-minded philanthropic organization whose mandate is to construct infrastructures for only relief medical purposes (building of clinics, hospitals, medical laboratories and medical oxygen power station) for donation. While Rotary becomes the partner to provide the medical equipment like in this case.

We are enormously grateful to the Rotary family for this magnanimous gift to our member health facilities and to the people in Liberia at large. But the boggling question that comes to our mind sometimes that we cannot fathom answers to is;

•  Whether or not the project that is envisage as a life saver for almost 5 to 6 counties with the projected population of over one million persons would have been nullified if CHAL and other partners could not raise the funds for the construction. What becomes of our objectives?

It is against this mind -blowing concern we though to formulate the two approaches mentioned above for your review and consideration for future projects. CHAL will be very glad to work with you if you deem it prudent to scout for said like-minded philanthropic organization to making the Rotary Club initiatives 100 % complete.