By Vatican News staff writer

With a Rite of Blessing on Tuesday, St. Raphael Hospital in Baghdad, Iraq, formally inaugurated an oxygen production plant, capable of generating medical oxygen. The machine is a donation by the Holy Father through funds placed at the disposal of the Secretariat of State by the Congregation for the Eastern Churches and the Apostolic Almoner.

Gratitude from hospital administration

The Hospital’s Administrative Director, Sr. Maryanne Pierre, a nun from the Congregation of the Dominican Sisters of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin, expressed gratitude to the Holy Father for the donation.

In a letter, she thanked the Holy Father for his support and for the oxygen plant which will help the hospital to continue to serve patients in need, especially during these times of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Service beyond St. Raphael hospital

Ghaleb Mansoor Sawa, the Hospital's Director, and Doctor Amjad Khacheek Majeed, Department Head of the analytic laboratory, confirmed that the machine has been used regularly for several months in the production of oxygen for patients who need it.

Already, the oxygen generator has been indispensable to treat patients during the Covid emergency and will be essential in the case of further waves of the Covid-19 infections.

The oxygen produced is not used only at Saint Raphael, but also to supply other hospitals, including state hospitals and hospitals in other cities.