This archive report was first published on 7 July 2021.
Rwanda is racing against time to boost its oxygen production capacity as the country grapples with a surge in coronavirus infections. The government has announced plans to import oxygen plants worth over Rwf4 billion (approximately $4 million) to increase local production.
According to officials, the current oxygen capacity is sufficient, but the government is taking proactive measures to avoid a shortage if cases continue to rise. The new oxygen plants are expected to be delivered to the country this week.
“We have enough oxygen at the moment, but we are importing more oxygen plants to ensure that we have a sufficient supply,” said Pie Harerimana, the Chief Executive Officer of Rwanda Medical Supplies (RMS). “The plan is to reserve at least 300 oxygen cylinders for each hospital caring for critical coronavirus cases, even if they only use 200 per day.”
As of September 2020, Rwanda had seven functional public oxygen plants that produced approximately 7,000 cylinders (50L) per month. The oxygen plants are supplied by Oxymat, Inmatec, Airsep, Craft, and Amico.
With the recent spike in infections, the government has imposed a partial lockdown and tightened Covid-19 restrictions to curb the spread of the virus. The restrictions include the suspension of all social gatherings, closing schools, and instructing public officials to work remotely.
As of July 6, Rwanda had recorded 15,397 active cases, with 57 patients in need of critical care. The total number of deaths had increased to 491. President Paul Kagame has emphasized the need to adhere to health guidelines to curb the spread of the virus.
“Some relief is on the way in terms of vaccines to raise the level of protection starting with those most at risk and eventually reaching as many Rwandans as possible,” he said. Rwanda needs three million doses of vaccine to inoculate 60 percent of its 12.6 million population by June 2022.
