Availability of Medical Oxygen: Challenges and Solutions

Reference

According to the Lancet Global Health Commission on Medical Oxygen Safety, South Asia and East Asia and the Pacific have the largest gaps in demand for medical oxygen and there is a clear and urgent need for action to improve it.

About Medical Oxygen

• What it is: It is a high-purity form of oxygen gas used in a variety of medical conditions, such as respiratory problems, surgery and emergency care.
• Importance: Medical oxygen is a life-saving drug and has no substitute.
• Global situation: Nearly 5 billion people are facing a shortage of safe, quality and affordable medical oxygen.
• Regional gap: Oxygen service coverage gap is 78% in South Asia and 74% in East Asia-Pacific.
• Human rights issue: According to Saima Wazed, access to oxygen is a matter of equity and human rights.
  • Saima Wazed took over as WHO Regional Director for South-East Asia Region on February 1, 2024 for a five-year term. In this role, she will direct international health operations in 11 countries.

Impact of COVID-19 pandemic

• Information: The pandemic exposed the shortcomings of oxygen infrastructure in low and middle-income countries (LMICs).
• Emergency interventions: The crisis prompted immediate solutions but long-term progress is limited.
• WHO report (2022): Oxygen access in South-East Asia requires sustained investment and policy commitment.

Key Challenges

Lack of Equipment

• Only 54% of hospitals in LMICs have pulse oximeters and 58% have oxygen.
• Result: delayed diagnosis, inadequate treatment and preventable deaths.

Financial Burden

• $6.8 billion is needed to bridge the global oxygen gap, with South Asia accounting for $2.6 billion.
• LMICs face the challenge of resource allocation across health priorities.

Human Resource Shortage

• Lack of trained biomedical engineers and technicians.
• Barriers to maintenance and operation of oxygen equipment in rural areas.

Other Barriers

• Lack of supply chain management, quality control and electricity.
• Uneven access in rural and underprivileged communities.

Solutions and Initiatives

WHO’s Role

• Medical Oxygen Resolution and Lancet Global Health Commission Roadmap.
• Technical support for oxygen scale-up plans.
• WHO Oxygen Scorecard for progress monitoring.

Capacity building

• Oxygen plant installation and training in Nepal and Bhutan supported by WHO.
• Potential to extend the cross-border collaboration model to other LMICs.

Innovations

• Solar-powered oxygen systems (successful examples in Ethiopia and Nigeria)
• Portable oxygen concentrators and community-based hubs.

Local manufacturing

• Emphasis on local production to reduce import dependency and reduce costs.
• Improving last-mile distribution through decentralized production.

Policy and financing

• Policies to strengthen the oxygen ecosystem by national governments.
• Integrating oxygen access into universal health coverage.
• Sustainable financing from private sector and global agencies.

Long-term vision

• Integrated strategy: Collaboration between government, private sector and international organizations.
• Regulatory framework: Standardized protocols for quality, storage and distribution.
• Research and innovation: Academic research on low-cost oxygen solutions.
• Digital technology: Use for real-time monitoring and supply chain management.

Significance

• Socio-economic inclusion: Reducing health inequalities through access to oxygen. 
• Human rights: Establishing oxygen as a fundamental right. 
• Emergency preparedness: Building resilient health systems for health crises. 
• Regional cooperation: Cross-border cooperation in South-East Asia for policy and resource sharing. 
• Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): Contribute to the achievement of SDG 3 (Good health and well-being)
• Global health governance: Emphasis on the role of WHO and global health agencies

Conclusion

Access to medical oxygen is a One Health, equity and human rights issue. A multi-stakeholder approach, innovation and sustained investment are needed to bridge the oxygen gap in South-East Asia. Coordinated action along the WHO and Lancet Commission roadmap can address the oxygen crisis.