Need for medical
oxygen access
Fewer than half of health facilities LMICs have uninterrupted access to oxygen
Access to safe, affordable, quality medical oxygen remains a critical challenge, particularly in LMICs. It is estimated that fewer than half of all health facilities in LMICs have uninterrupted access to medical oxygen. Most patients who need oxygen for acute medical or surgical conditions are not receiving it, with the greatest inequities in sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia and the Pacific. This gap in access to oxygen was severely exposed during the COVID-19 pandemic. The African COVID-19 Critical Care Outcomes Study found that one in two patients hospitalized with COVID-19 in intensive care units in sub-Saharan Africa died without receiving oxygen support.
Essential components of the oxygen ecosystem are missing due to chronic under-investment
In LMICs, oxygen ecosystems are weak due to historical neglect of the requisite infrastructure and necessary human resources. Major gaps include:
- Lack of sustainable financing;
- Shortage of trained clinical staff and biomedical engineers;
- Physical infrastructure limitations including unreliable electricity for production plants and inadequate road infrastructure that prevent delivery of medical oxygen to rural sites;
- Weak maintenance and availability of oxygen production systems;
- Fragmented/absent commercial markets for oxygen, and limited product availability;
- Variable government commitment;
- Limited policy and planning ability; and
- Absence of routine data for monitoring.
Oxygen investments made during the COVID-19 pandemic are now at risk due to waning interest in pandemic preparedness
Funding for global health initiatives post- pandemic is diminishing while needs are growing. Nearly US$ 1 billion was spent on oxygen strengthening during the pandemic, primarily on production plants, leaving critical infrastructure and workforce needs underfunded. As a result, unreliable electricity, lack of roads for oxygen transport, and lack of health worker and biomedical engineering capacity to operate and maintain oxygen equipment are undermining the impact of global investments. Many countries are unable to maintain the functionality of donated equipment, donors are struggling to ensure that critically needed assistance is delivered within shrinking budgets and some agencies and implementing partners are working in uncoordinated siloes.