By Valentine Amanze, Online Editor
The Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) has raised the alarm over under-dispensing of oxygen and other medical gases by plant owners in some parts of the country.
The warning is coming on the heels of complaints on the issue, recently.
The Director General of SON, Mallam Farouk Salim, in a statement, pointed out that the inadequacy in volume and dosage of oxygen and other medical gases had been reported to have consequences on the treatment of patients in the country, resulting to loss of lives in some cases.
He therefore warned gas plants across the country to ensure accurate volume in the sale of oxygen and other medical gases to customers as a matter of responsibility.
Salim, however, admonished health institutions and practitioners to carefully and regularly check the pressure of oxygen and other medical gas cylinders for strict compliance with labelled specifications.
Besides, he disclosed that SON offices across the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory had been directed to ensure close monitoring and strict compliance with standards of volume in the sale of oxygen and other medical gases to customers by gas plants.
The SON director general also warned that any gas plant or dealer found to be under-dispensing oxygen or other medical gases would be made to face the full weight of the law as enshrined in the SON Act No. 14 of 2015.
He described oxygen as a critical product in the treatment of respiratory ailments in emergency situations, particularly in the management of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. He stressed that its use by certified medical personnel was strictly in recommended volumes and dosages for effectiveness in treatment.