By Awyetu Asabe Hope
The Federal Government on Tuesday pledged to ensure a stable and secure medical oxygen supply nationwide, describing it as critical to maternal health, emergency response, pandemic preparedness, and Universal Health Coverage.
Speaking at the 2026 National Oxygen Coordination Committee meeting in Abuja, the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Daju Kachollom, said Nigeria must move beyond installing oxygen equipment to guaranteeing sustainable access.
“We were in a race against time to deploy infrastructure such as Pressure Swing Adsorption plants and liquid oxygen tanks,” she said. “But having machines is not enough. A system that is not maintained or funded becomes a liability.
It is no longer enough to ‘have’ oxygen; we must ‘guarantee’ oxygen.”
Kachollom stressed that oxygen security defines the quality of care and requires strong political will, sustainable funding, and coordinated implementation.
Head of the National Oxygen Desk, Dr Gilbert Shetak, said efforts would continue to expand oxygen sustainability across hospitals, while the Clinton Health Access Initiative commended the government’s progress and urged stakeholders to strengthen implementation.
Nigeria continues to battle preventable deaths linked to oxygen shortages, with pneumonia remaining a leading cause of under-five mortality.
Development partners, including UNICEF, CHAI and FHI 360, are supporting efforts under the National Strategy for the Scale-Up of Medical Oxygen (2023–2027).