PSFU bids to donate empty gas cylinders to government, calls upon donors to support the drive.

In the Presidential address delivered on Friday this week, President Yoweri Museveni among other issues noted that the severely and critically ill COVID-19 patients have more than doubled straining the available oxygen supply. Current national daily oxygen consumption stands at 3,000 cylinders per day, where each cylinder is 6,800 litres.

It is thus against this reasoning that the Private Sector Foundation Uganda (PSFU) led by its chairman, Hon. Elly Karuhanga launched an initiative aimed at lending empty cylinders to the government on the verge of supplementing Governments’ efforts to treat the critically ill currently in hospitals and ensuring a more oxygen supply for patients.

Karuhanga made this call to manufacturers, factories, welders in a press release dated June 20 and this exercise will wholly be done through PSFU. He noted that the current oxygen challenge the country is faced with, is accelerated by the insufficiency of empty cylinders for oxygen distribution to equate to the increasing number of patients in need of.

“As we speak today the Country’s medical facilities don’t have sufficient oxygen to help the big number of COVID-19 patients. What is missing are the Cylinders into which the manufactured oxygen is packed and administered to patients. Our country has the capacity to produce sufficient oxygen gas. Let’s support the Government now with empty cylinders, and save the lives of our fellow Ugandans,” Karuhanga noted.

In this charitable drive, PSFU is looking for Gas cylinders [large-6.8cbm/45L, medium-3.6cbm/24L, small-1.36cbm/9L), Portable oxygen cylinders and Cylinder trolleys. In case of further inquiries, one should contact Ms. Hellen Awidi via email address; hawidi@psfuganda.org.ug  or call: +256 772 516 117.

PSFU promises to receive and pass these cylinders over to health facilities and to return them at the conclusion of this calamity. Interested individuals and organisations are hence asked to deliver the cylinders clearly labelled with identification marks starting tomorrow, June 21 between 9am and 4pm at their offices located along Plot 43, Nakasero Road, Kampala.

This call comes at a time when the country is in dire need of oxygen cylinders. A number of companies have come up to support and this very drive can equally yield positive results once you too, participate in.