Anambra Commissioner Seeks Ban on Industrial Oxygen Use

Dr Law Mefor, the Anambra Commissioner for Information, has called for legislation to prohibit the use of industrial oxygen in hospitals across the country, describing it as hazardous to human health.

Mefor made this appeal during a courtesy visit on Tuesday to Ms Nwamaka Arinze, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Anambra State Oxygen Production Plant in Awka.

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Expressing his concern, Mefor criticised the continued use of industrial oxygen in hospitals instead of pure medical oxygen, emphasising its dangers to human health.

He stated, “Since it has been proven that industrial oxygen is not good for human consumption, it should be a legislative issue.

“There should be a law against it; providing a clear punishment for its usage.

“This is because without legislation, our people will still go for what they consider cheap regardless of the final outcome.

“That is one thing I noticed in the South East. They go into wealth without morality. It is a very dangerous thing,” the commissioner said.

Mefor argued that every penny must be earned ethically, condemning the practice of endangering lives in pursuit of quick or extra profit.

He described the practice as rampant and called for legislation with severe penalties to address this deadly trend.

The commissioner also referenced the National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), which recently shut down the Bridgehead Drug Market due to the sale of fake, expired, and banned drugs.

He noted that some traders prioritise financial gain over human lives, stating, “The only way to really curb this menace is through legislation and enforcement of the law.

“The problem is not even the absence of law but enforcement, and enforcement in Anambra State has its own challenges,” he said.

Mefor pledged that the Ministry of Information would collaborate with relevant offices to raise public awareness about the dangers of using industrial oxygen in hospitals.

Earlier, Ms Arinze, MD/CEO of the Anambra State Oxygen Production Plant at Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University Teaching Hospital (COOUTH), Awka, supported the commissioner’s stance against industrial oxygen.

She highlighted Governor Charles Soludo’s mandate to ensure that pure medical oxygen is available, accessible, and affordable for all residents of Anambra.

Arinze condemned the use of industrial oxygen in hospitals and endorsed the commissioner’s call for legislation and enforcement to regulate the practice.

“I thank God we have been producing pure medical oxygen. We always have standby oxygen in case of emergency.

“The challenge we are having is trying to educate some doctors who I know that they know that industrial oxygen is not good for human consumption.

“You know here in Nigeria, they only do autopsy for corpses in controversy. If they are given industrial oxygen and they die, they still pay the doctor before they carry the corpse.

“It is ours to build and not to destroy. It is ours to save lives in any little way we can,” she said.

 

 

 

 

 

NAN