WHO delivers life-saving O2 to Sierra Leone

As with many low and middle income countries (LMICs) across the world, the Covid-19 pandemic exposed gaps across health systems in both oxygen supply and production.

Capable of holding 40 litres of oxygen per cylinder, the total cost of the donation came to more than $200,000 (£160,000) and could represent an important step in the provision of nationwide oxygen in hospitals.

Commenting on the delivery, Dr James Bunn, Technical Officer for Case Management, WHO Country Office in Sierra Leone, said, “At the beginning of Covid-19, we may recall, we were briefly overwhelmed with patients needing oxygen, as were many other countries.”

But it’s been a pleasure over the last two years to see the country recognise and respond to this need, with the support of partners and donors.”

Concerns over oxygen supply in LMICs were caused by preexisting shortages and also a compromised ability to generate the gas.

Organisations such as Direct Relief have sought to both increase health equity and save lives across LMICs by committing to supplying healthcare providers with funding of $5m (£3.7m) to acquire essential medical oxygen systems.

Having previously invested more than $15m (£11m) worth of related equipment – such as more than 35,000 oxygen concentrators – the organisation has also funded the construction and repair of seven pressure-swing adsorption (PSA) plants to generate medical-grade oxygen onsite at hospitals.

According to WHO, Sierra Leone is currently in the early stages of putting together a long-term plan for the oxygen supply chain management through a technical working group.

The plan will enable the MoHS to acquire knowledge on the best systems to provide oxygen, including advise on cylinder distribution and related logistics.

“This is not a small undertaking, and the 900 oxygen cylinders being provided by WHO are an important part of a whole system approach in the provision of this lifesaving commodity to patients, including those with Covid-19, whose lives can be saved with the reliable provision of oxygen,” said Dr Steven Shongwe, WHO Representative in Sierra Leone.

A ‘find & fix’ map initiative set up by Direct Relief and the Every Breath Counts Coalition (EBCC) supports oxygen provision across the globe by allowing users to assess the status of oxygen plants in their community, in addition to data surrounding current oxygen needs of specific areas.

According to Leith Greenslade, Coordinator of EBCC and Founder and CEO of JustActions, spoke during gasworld’s Medical Gases Summit 2022, saying, “Studies suggested shockingly high levels of under treatment of patients needing oxygen across Africa and Asia.”

“There is no question that lack of oxygen is one of the reasons that pneumonia has been the leading infectious killers in Africa and Asia for so long.” Gasworld