From Benjamin Babine, Abuja and Laide Raheem, Abeokuta
The Federal College of Dental Technology and Therapy, Enugu (FEDCODTTEN) has embarked on mass production of ventilators, sanitisers and face masks in efforts to fight and contain the spread of COVID-19 pandemic still ravaging the country.
Rector of the college, Dr. John Emaimo, in a statement said the hospital won’t stop at producing electricity powered ventilators, but would also start producing turbine gas-powered ventilators.
He said operations of electricity powered-ventilators, though great, can be disrupted whenever power supply fails while gas powered-ventilators can function uninterrupted for days.
“The National Orthopaedic Hospital which handles the aspect of utilisation of ventilators advised us to make it unique to serve the end users. They said it will be good if we can change it to a turbine gas-powered product from the electricity driven-facilities because if electricity blinks, application is addressed but the volume of gas being used can be measured. They said if we make it gas-driven, we can put a patient on the ventilator for two days and go and sleep. So, they said we should move away from electricity-driven production to gas-driven initiative by taking the novelty of go-gas initiative.”
This comes as former member of the House of Representatives and chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos State, Moshood Adegoke Salvador, has knocked the Federal Government for its plans to build oxygen plants in 38 locations in the country at cost of N6.8b.
Salvador, who described the cost of the oxygen plants as “outrageous” compared to similar plants in the U.S and United Kingdom, said Nigeria cannot afford to be extravagant in the face of the current economic downturn.
He spoke with journalists at the sidelines of a Public Lecture and Patrons’ Luncheon, organised at the weekend by the Federated Chapel, Nigeria Union of Journalists, Ogun State Council, held at the Olusegun Obasanjo Library, Abeokuta, Ogun state capital.