Health workers at the David Umahi Federal University Teaching Hospital, DUFUTH, Ebonyi State, have received specialised training on medical oxygen economy and infrastructure under the EQUI-RESP Africa Project.
The training workshop, held at the Main Conference Hall of DUFUTH, brought together medical personnel, healthcare professionals and resource persons from Nigeria and beyond.
EQUI-RESP Africa is a multi-country research initiative focused on developing context-specific interventions to tackle respiratory diseases in low- and middle-income countries.
The project is funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research, NIHR, United Kingdom, in collaboration with the University of Edinburgh.
Speaking on “Understanding Medical Oxygen Economy and Ecosystem,” the Vice Chancellor of David Umahi Federal University of Health Sciences, DUFUHS, and Ebonyi Project Lead for EQUI-RESP Africa, Professor Jesse Uneke, said the initiative is being implemented across several African countries, including Nigeria, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire and South Africa.
Uneke described Nigeria as strategic to global health interventions because of its population and influence on research and disease-control efforts.
He said the project has two leads in Nigeria, with one based at the University of Lagos and the other at DUFUHS in Ebonyi State.
The Vice Chancellor also described the establishment of an EQUI-RESP Africa project centre in Ebonyi as a significant development that would strengthen research and healthcare interventions in the state.
He commended the management of DUFUTH for its partnership in the initiative, noting that the research is being conducted at DUFUTH and the Alex Ekwueme Federal University Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki.
The training is expected to strengthen healthcare workers’ understanding of medical oxygen systems and support efforts to improve respiratory healthcare delivery in Ebonyi State.
