Today, in collaboration with Save the Children Somalia programme, the Puntland Ministry of Health inaugurated a new medical oxygen plant in Goldogob hospital.

 Representatives from the Save the Children Somalia programme, who built the facility, the Puntland Ministry of Health and the local community witnessed the inspection and the testing of the new medical oxygen plant.

Through its continued support of the humanitarian nexus project to respond to COVID-19 and the drought emergency, the German Federal Foreign Office (FFO) has funded the project.

Galdogob Hospital is one of the largest hospitals in the Goldogob district,  serving a population of 115,009 who are living in Goldogob town and its surrounding villages.

The plant has the capacity to produce  48.4m3 of oxygen supplies per hour. It will cover the oxygen needs of the Galdogob district by providing medical oxygen for the treatment of patients who are suffering from pneumonia, undergoing medical surgeries and other patients who require medical oxygen.

Representatives from Save the Children handed over the facility to the ministry of health officials in Galdogob District Hospital, including deputy Minister of the Ministry of Health in Puntland, H.E Abdikarim Yusuf Haji, and Dr. Abdirizak Hirsi Hassan, Director General of Puntland Ministry of Health, and other senior officials of  Galdogob district authorities.

H.E Abdikarim Yusuf Haji, Deputy Minister of the health of the Ministry of Health in Puntland, said:

 "The oxygen plant came when the hospital expanded its regional services. Before the installation of the plant, the hospital relied on Galkayo to get oxygen supplies from Gallkayo.

"Thus, the oxygen supplies coming to the hospital were expensive, and patients struggled to afford the prices. I want to thank the German Federal Foreign Office, Save the Children, for funding and implementing this project."

Save the Children Deputy Country Director for Programme Development, Quality and Impact, Dr. Binyam Gebru, said:

"This oxygen plant is crucial for our efforts to ensure mothers and their children access health services. As mentioned by the community, medical oxygen supplies and prices were some of the significant challenges health sectors in this district have faced. We hope the new plant will solve some of the challenges the community faces and boost our efforts to ensure that children and mothers can receive basic health services.