New Unitaid report: How to increase access to medical oxygen in low-resource settings

• The report highlights significant advancements in oxygen production, distribution, and delivery, driven by the COVID-19 pandemic, which are crucial for improving health care in low- and middle-income countries by addressing gaps in access to lifesaving oxygen.
• Medical oxygen is essential for treating various conditions, including surgery, trauma, and critical care, but nearly 25 million deaths occur annually due to lack of access, many of which could be prevented.
• Existing oxygen technologies in low- and middle-income countries often fail due to extreme environmental conditions and inadequate business models, leading to high costs, logistical challenges, and equipment disrepair.
• The report underscores the need for novel business models to sustain COVID-era investments and enhance oxygen access in low- and middle-income countries.

Geneva – A new report released today by Unitaid, “The medical oxygen innovation landscape”, explores the significant advancements in oxygen innovations spurred by the COVID-19 pandemic. Developed in collaboration with leading public and private sector organizations, the report highlights key technologies and emerging business models that have the potential to transform health care in low- and middle-income countries by addressing critical gaps in access to lifesaving oxygen therapy.

Existing oxygen technologies often struggle to meet the demands of low- and middle-income countries. For instance, traditional oxygen concentrators – essential for generating oxygen at a patient’s bedside – frequently fail in environments with extreme heat, humidity, and unstable power supplies. Meanwhile, traditional business models in high-income settings for delivering oxygen to patients have proven inadequate, as high operating costs and logistical challenges in low-resource settings often leave equipment in disrepair.

The COVID-19 pandemic put a spotlight on these severe deficiencies in oxygen infrastructure and delivery models, which have led to millions of preventable deaths each year. In response, a wave of innovation emerged, leading to the development of more resilient, affordable, and context-appropriate options for oxygen delivery. However, not all of these innovations have been effectively deployed or scaled to the level needed to make a significant and sustainable impact.

“These advancements offer a rare opportunity to save countless lives, but without sustained investment and strategic deployment, their impact will remain limited,” said Unitaid’s Director of Strategy Janet Ginnard. “It’s not just about scaling what works – it’s about refining and adapting these innovations to ensure they are truly accessible and effective in the most challenging environments.”

The report emphasizes the need for new oxygen delivery strategies to sustain COVID-era investments and improve oxygen access. Business models like Oxygen as a Service, which deliver complete oxygen services through private companies, are being piloted to fill gaps in traditional delivery methods. By using subscription plans or bundled services that offer predictable costs, maintenance, and equipment, these approaches could significantly enhance the availability and reliability of oxygen in low- and middle-income countries, especially in low-resource areas.

While many of these innovations show great promise, not all are ready for large-scale implementation where they are needed most. By cataloging innovations, this report offers a comprehensive resource that can help inform potential opportunities to improve access to oxygen. Solutions will ultimately need to be tailored to individual country contexts, reflecting countries’ needs, specific settings, and use cases for medical oxygen.

About Unitaid

Unitaid saves lives by making new health products available and affordable for people in low- and middle-income countries. Unitaid works with partners to identify innovative treatments, tests and tools; helps tackle the market barriers that are holding them back; and gets them to the people who need them most—fast. Since it was created in 2006, Unitaid has unlocked access to more than 100 groundbreaking health products to help address the world’s greatest health challenges, including HIV, TB and malaria; women’s and children’s health; and pandemic prevention, preparedness and response. Every year, these products benefit more than 300 million people. Unitaid is a hosted partnership of the World Health Organization.

About Unitaid’s commitment to expanding access to medical oxygen

Oxygen access is a key component of Unitaid’s 2023-2027 strategy. As a co-chair of the Global Oxygen Alliance (GO2AL), Unitaid ensures that investments in oxygen infrastructure are sustained and expanded, making medical oxygen more accessible in low- and middle-income countries. GO2AL, an international coalition, was launched to address the critical shortages of medical oxygen that were exposed during the pandemic. The alliance focuses on supporting countries with technical cooperation, financial solutions, and capacity building to ensure that medical oxygen is available where it is needed most. Through this coalition, Unitaid is helping to overcome barriers to access and ensuring that the gains made in oxygen infrastructure during the pandemic are built upon for future health challenges.