MASERU-PRIME Minister Moeketsi Majoro has instructed the army commander to resuscitate the Morija oxygen plant in response to the critical shortage of oxygen in hospitals countrywide.
Communications Minister Chief Thesele ’Maseribane told a press conference on Tuesday that Lieutenant General Mojalefa Letsoela will use the army’s engineers to ensure that the Morija plant is up and running.
“Yesterday the Prime Minister ordered the army commander to dispatch engineers to inspect how the plant could be resuscitated to produce oxygen,” Chief ’Maseribane said.
The entire country has only three oxygen plants, the one in Morija at Scott Hospital which is currently not working, the other in Mapoteng at the Maluti Seventh-Day Adventist Hospital and the last one at Botšabelo Ministry of Health facilities in Maseru.
Majoro’s instruction to the army boss comes at a time when there has been a national outcry in all health centres over the shortage of oxygen.
Chief ’Maseribane said they travelled to the oxygen manufacturing plant in Morija and found that it needed to be put back to operation urgently.
He said on Monday afternoon Majoro together with his subcommittee of ministers and the National Covid-19 Secretariat (Nacosec) experts were locked in a meeting that lasted until Tuesday towards dawn where they were “trying to scrutinise the report on the progress and setbacks during these trying times”.
He said some of the challenges and achievements were tabled in the meeting that continued from morning on Tuesday until evening.
He added that after the cabinet and experts are done inspecting the report the Prime Minister would chart the way forward in an address to the entire nation.
Chief ’Maseribane said the major issue they were trying to address during their meeting was the shortage of oxygen and the challenges facing the health sector.
He said they also called for a meeting with registered oxygen companies to hear if they could help supply large quantities countrywide.
“Three companies came and met the sub-committee to explain what they could do to deliver the massive order,” he said.
He said their target is that by the end of this week all health facilities accommodating Covid-19 patients should have oxygen supplied to them quickly.
He said the order entails about 500 bottles of oxygen which is considered a massive order by the suppliers.
He said they also wanted to know if there is enough money to buy the bottles from the Minister of Finance who said he is ready to offer such funds to buy oxygen.
He said the same companies they called supply oxygen all over SADC therefore they are overwhelmed by orders.
“We really have to squeeze ourselves so that we are helped,” he said.
“If the government does not succeed in placing the oxygen orders there will be disaster,” he said.
Meanwhile, in an open letter to the government two weeks back the Lesotho Nurses Association (LNA) threatened to call for a massive stay-away if the situation is not urgently addressed.
Nkheli Liphoto