DAR ES SALAAM, July 1 (Xinhua) -- The government Tanzania said on Friday it is in the process of setting 75 medical oxygen generation plants in the east African nation's referral, zonal and district hospitals.
Ummy Mwalimu, the Minister for Health, said the move is aimed at saving lives of patients with respiratory diseases who need medical oxygen.
Mwalimu revealed plans to set the 75 medical oxygen generation plants when she inspected a new medical oxygen generation plant at the Benjamin Mkapa hospital in the capital Dodoma.
"The setting of the medical oxygen generation plants is part of the government's efforts to improve medical services in the country," said the minister.
Alphonce Chandika, the executive director of the Benjamin Mkapa hospital, said the plant has capacity to produce 400 medical oxygen cylinders a day.
Chandika told the minister that medical oxygen to be produced at the hospital will also be supplied to medical facilities in neighboring regions of Manyara, Singida and Iringa.
He said before the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the hospital was using 200 medical oxygen cylinders in a month but after the pandemic broke out, the hospital was using 200 cylinders a day.
