LUKE COMMISSION LAUNCHES E34M OXYGEN PLANT

MANZINI – The pain of losing loved ones due to the shortage of oxygen will soon be a thing of the past as The Luke Commission has established its own oxygen production plant.

With the assistance of the First National Bank (FNB) Eswatini Foundation, The Luke Commission has launched the country’s first oxygen production plant, valued at E34 million. The FNB Foundation has since contributed an amount of E500 000 towards the oxygen production plant, which is expected to produce about 1 000 litres per minute. This was revealed during the sponsorship handover ceremony held at The Luke Commission Miracle Campus in Sidvokodvo yesterday.

Minister of Health Lizzie Nkosi said during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, the health sector learnt the importance and key role of oxygen. However, in the second wave, several challenges, such as the discovery of a new variant, which spread quickly and appeared more infectious were experienced and oxygen played a key role in keeping people alive, while it was being moved to the different facilities on a day and night basis. The minister said this was not made any better by the fact that neighbouring South Africa, who largely supplied the country with oxygen, was also affected by the oxygen shortage.

Despite this, the minister said it was through government partnering with the private sector that the ministry realised that resilience came through working together during critical times, such as working with visionaries such as The Luke Commission to produce oxygen locally, rather than importing it.

Surprising

“What was even more pleasantly surprising was the manner in which the private sector assisted government in procuring medical resources such as personal protective equipment (PPE), so that the nation was better prepared than ever, to fight COVID-19,” she said. She further applauded The Luke Commission for contributing towards gathering the resources as the nation braced itself for the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. While handing over the sponsorship, FNB Chief Executive Officer (CEO), who is also FNB Foundation Chairperson Dennis Mbingo, said what medical facilities had to go through during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic was remarkable, considering the shortage of oxygen experienced by the health sector during the crucial time.

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