KAKATA, Margibi – The C.H Rennie Hospital in Kakata has announced that it has begun local production of alcohol-based hand sanitizers.

The disclosure was made last week by the hospital’s chemical laboratory pharmacist, Diana Dahn-Smith, during an interview with journalists.

C.H. Rennie was seriously affected by the Ebola outbreak in 2014, with 18 Doctors and Nurses losing their lives to the virus.

According to Dahn-Smith, the hospital began producing the sanitizers after partaking in a training sponsored and organized by the Swedish government.

“We were several Liberian pharmacists that got the training, but since I have the passion in what I am doing, I thought to put into practice what I have learned,” she told journalists.

She said the products are being used by workers of the hospital.

C.H. Rennie Hospital Chemical Laboratory Pharmacist, Diana Dahn-Smith. Photo: Emmanuel Degleh

In two separate productions, she has been able to produce up to 300 sanitizer bottles of 100-milliliter size each.

She said the product is made from a mixture of ethanol, distilled water, and other related chemicals.

“This sanitizer is very effective and can be compared to many of the imported ones,” she said.

Dahn-Smith, who has a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry, said the anti-bacterial sanitizer is certified by the standards of the World Health Organization.

Despite producing quantities for use within the C.H. Rennie Hospital, Dahn-Smith said she cannot produce in large enough quantities to supply other health facilities or the general the public.

“This is because of the high cost of the products used for production,” she said. She disclosed the chemicals used to produce the first consignment was made available to her by the Swedish government.

“Because of the limited amount of the chemicals, we are producing it only for the use of the hospital medical staff but we hope to produce more so the other health facilities and the public can benefit,” she said.

The C.H Rennie Hospital is Margibi’s only public referral hospital and has struggled to remain afloat after being hit by the deadly Ebola virus.

The hospital’s Chief administrator Raymond Cassel said the current administration is struggling to keep the facility up-to-date in meeting the medical needs of its constituents.

He added that the hospital will also shortly embark on the production of oxygen to be used in the emergency rooms to resuscitate people under critical medical conditions.

Featured photo by Emmanuel Degleh