Roundtable discussion: Increasing access to medical oxygen in LMICs

Johann Kolstee, who is the Research Programme Manager for the Access to Medicine Foundation's work on medical oxygen, diagnostics and vaccines, took part in a 24 August virtual roundtable discussion on the urgent need to secure a steady supply of medical oxygen in low and middle-income countries (LMICs).

Date

Wednesday 24 August 2022

Johann Kolstee, Research Programme Manager for Medical Oxygen, Diagnostics and Vaccines

The COVID-19 pandemic revealed the life-threatening supply shortage of medical oxygen globally, but this lack of access had already been a critical problem in LMICs before COVID-19 hit. In fact, the COVID-19 pandemic worsened an already unmet need for oxygen - a vital treatment for a wide range of other deadly conditions, including pneumonia.

Without improvements to access, many people will continue to die unnecessarily.

Roundtable discussion:

On 24 August, Johann attended a roundtable discussion hosted by consultancy firm Matahari Solutions to discuss the issue of insufficient planning for oxygen plant maintenance - and why this should be an urgent concern not only from a COVID-19-related perspective, but for wider medical use.

Johann shared insights on how the private sector - specifically medical gas companies - can play a role in addressing access to medical oxygen in LMICs, including partnering with governments in order to work towards sustainable supply.

Among other key issues around access, Johann explained why increased attention needs to be focused on gas companies' maintenance of their plants in this regard:

Apart from the good business practice, it ensures facilities can scale up in times of need.
Oxygen also has specific handling and transportation requirements that must be supported by proper plant maintenance.
Liquid oxygen delivery requires maintenance of piping networks by highly trained technicians and engineers. Companies should therefore include service and maintenance elements within their contracts where possible, to ensure safe delivery to patients at the health facilities most in need.

Matahari Global Solutions hosted this event to mark the release of its updated situation analysis of access to COVID-19 tools across 14 countries - sharing key findings of the report, which was produced in partnership with ITPC Global and People’s Vaccine Alliance.