Resources

Africa Medical Supplies Platform

TOOL | Africa Medical Supplies Platform enables the discovery, payment, and fulfillment of critical medical equipment by authorized African government entities to help fight the COVID-19 pandemic.

African Federation for Emergency Medicine (AFEM) Resources

REPOSITORY / TOOLKIT | AFEM’s resources are Africa-specific for clinical, nursing, and pre-hospital emergency care.

Boxer Project

 ARTICLE | Project Boxer is a Global Fund initiative that provides: advice on country oxygen needs, support to local and central procurement and installation, and technical assistance in bulk oxygen production.

Medevis: Priority Medical Devices Information System

REPOSITORY / TOOLKIT | Medevis is an open access WHO electronic database on appropriate medical devices according to the levels of care, setting and intended health intervention, which can be tailored to the specific...

Oxygen Hub

TOOL | The Oxygen Hub works with local entrepreneurs in sub-Saharan Africa to power the production and distribution of affordable medical oxygen. This website provides details on where and how they support...

Oxygen Supply and Demand Calculator

TOOL | This tool provides a calculator to estimate oxygen demand based on oxygen source, total supply and usage, and patient needs.

Oxygen Systems Applications

TOOL | The web-based applications currently consist of a package of six different tools that are user friendly – Oxygen needs-gap facility estimator; Energy consumption and costing estimator; Total cost of ownership...

UNICEF Procurement Services

TOOL | UNICEF Procurement Services is a strategic programmatic and development platform that enables governments and other partners to leverage UNICEF’s procurement scale and expertise.

Oxygen Concentrators: A Primary Oxygen Supply Source

JOURNAL PUBLICATION | Published in the Canadian Journal of Anesthesia, this article reviews ten years experience with oxygen concentrators (OCs) in Canada used as a primary hospital oxygen supply.

Effects of Oxygen Concentrators on Ventilator Oxygen Delivery

JOURNAL PUBLICATION | Published in the Canadian Journal of Anesthesia, this study looked at differences between inspired oxygen settings of the ventilator/anesthetic machine and actual circuit oxygen levels when using oxygen 99 and...

Oxygen is an Essential Medicine: A Call for International Action

JOURNAL PUBLICATION | As highlighted in this article in the International Journal of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease, the cost-effectiveness of an oxygen systems strategy compares favorably with other higher profile child survival interventions.

Guide to Infrastructure and Supplies at Various Levels of Healthcare Facilities: Emergency and Essential Surgical Care

GUIDANCE | This guidance outlines the infrastructure and supply needs at the different levels of a healthcare system to ensure adequate emergency and essential surgical care.

A Toolkit for Procuring Quality-Assured Basic Neonatal Resuscitation Commodities

REPOSITORY / TOOLKIT | This toolkit is intended to help with quantifying commodity needs, developing effective procurement plans, and writing specifications for national tenders.

Ethiopia’s National Medical Oxygen and Pulse Oximetry Scale Up Road Map (2016-2021)

GOVERNMENT POLICY / STRATEGY | This roadmap is intended to guide scale up of oxygen and pulse oximeters as well as standardizing the need for comprehensive approach to program management and implementation at all levels...

Fighting for Breath: A Call to Action on Childhood Pneumonia

REPORT | This report focuses on what is now the single biggest cause of child deaths through infectious disease – pneumonia.

Nigeria’s National Policy on Medical Oxygen in Health Facilities

GOVERNMENT POLICY / STRATEGY | The publication of this first comprehensive National Policy on Medical Oxygen marks a significant step in improving access to lifesaving medical oxygen to patients in Nigeria.

WHO-UNICEF Technical Specifications and Guidance for Oxygen Therapy Devices

GUIDANCE | The purpose of this interagency publication is to provide harmonized product specifications for a wide range of products for delivering basic oxygen therapy, and to provide guidance on the selection...

Decommissioning Medical Devices

GUIDANCE | This guide was created in response to insufficient knowledge about decommissioning medical device and is part of the WHO medical device technical series.

Uganda National Scale Up of Medical Oxygen Implementation Plan (2018-2022)

GOVERNMENT POLICY / STRATEGY | This National Medical Oxygen Scale Up Implementation Plan articulates a holistic approach to improving demand and supply of medical oxygen in Uganda.

Oxygen Therapy for Children: A Key Tool in Reducing Deaths from Pneumonia

JOURNAL PUBLICATION | This commentary in Pediatric Pulmonology explores the reasons for the oxygen gap, using Nigeria as an illustrative case study in improving oxygen access, and concluding with key actions for policy...

Providing Oxygen to Children in Hospitals: A Realist Review

JOURNAL PUBLICATION | This study highlighted in the Bulletin of the World Health Organization aims to identify and describe interventions to improve oxygen therapy in hospitals in low-resource settings.

Emergency and Critical Care Services in Malawi: Findings from a Nationwide Survey of Health Facilities

JOURNAL PUBLICATION | Published in the Malawi Medical Journal, the aim of this study was to assess the availability of resources for emergency and critical care in Malawi using data from the Service...

Severe Acute Respiratory Infections Treatment Centre: Practical Manual to Set up and Manage a SARI Treatment Centre and a SARI Screening Facility in Healthcare Facilities

GUIDANCE | This is the first edition of the practical manual to set up and manage a severe acute respiratory infection (SARI) treatment center and a SARI screening facility in healthcare facilities.

The Prevalence of Hypoxemia among Pediatric and Adult Patients Presenting to Healthcare Facilities in Low- and Middle-income Countries: Protocol for a Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

JOURNAL PUBLICATION | Published in Systemic Reviews, this study aims to fill a key evidence gap by providing comprehensive estimates of hypoxemia prevalence.

Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Technical Guidance: Essential Resource Planning

GUIDANCE | To gauge the need for supplies/equipment and health work force requirements during the COVID-19 pandemic, WHO has developed a suite of complimentary surge calculators.

Managing COVID-19 in Resource-limited Settings: Critical Care Considerations

JOURNAL PUBLICATION | From an urgent and pragmatic perspective, this article published in BMC Critical Care suggests creative uses of existing resources and repurposing others for human medical care.

Oxygen Sources and Distribution for COVID-19 Treatment Centres

GUIDANCE | This interim guidance describes how to quantify oxygen demand, identify oxygen sources that are available, and select appropriate surge sources to best respond to COVID-19 patients’ needs, especially in LMICs.

COVID-19 Respiratory Care Response Coordination Project

INFORMATION BRIEF | This factsheet outlines the COVID-19 Respiratory Care Response Coordination project to support countries in the development of a comprehensive respiratory care strategy for COVID-19 and beyond.

Biomedical Equipment for COVID-19 Case Management – Inventory Tool: Interim Guidance

TOOL | This survey assesses quantified availability and the causes for nonfunctioning of different sources of oxygen delivery and supply systems to the patient to determine priorities and re-allocation requirements.

Maintaining Essential Health Services during the COVID-19 Outbreak

GUIDANCE | This page provides different resources to maintain preventive and curative services while also meeting the demand for care of COVID-19 patients.

COVID-19 Health Facility Readiness Assessment: Oxygen Availability

REPORT | This assessment aims to take stock of the status of health facilities in readiness to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, including an assessment of oxygen availability as well as oxygen...

Consumption Tracking Tool

TOOL | As part of PATH’s Oxygen Delivery Toolkit, this tool is designed to help track daily oxygen use and, ultimately, inform future procurement planning.

Practical Actions in Cities to Strengthen Preparedness for the COVID-19 Pandemic and Beyond

TOOL | This document provides local authorities, leaders, and policymakers in cities with a checklist tool to ensure that key areas have been covered for strengthening preparedness for COVID-19.

UNICEF Oxygen System Planning Tool

TOOL | UNICEF has developed an Excel-based tool to help stakeholders plan their oxygen supply system.

Technical Review of Oxygen Supply

REPORT | This report provides a summary of the oxygen supply in Kenya, specifically looking at county capacity, quality of service, and country administration, operations, and safety.

Adaptt Surge Planning Support Tool

TOOL | The Adaptt Surge Planning Support Tool is an Excel-based graphical tool intended for policymakers and senior planners to focus on surge planning information.

Markets Matter: Closing the Oxygen Access Gap

PRESENTATION / WEBINAR | This PATH Live Forum disentangles key challenges impeding access—from demand planning to financing to supply and distribution systems—as well as innovative solutions to solve them for COVID-19 and beyond.

WHO Technical Consultation on Oxygen Scale Up

PRESENTATION / WEBINAR | WHO convened a consultation, held over four meetings, with groups that have proven experience implementing oxygen scale up activities to accelerate oxygen access at the country level.

What Does Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Mean for Global Pneumonia Prevention, Diagnosis, and Treatment?

JOURNAL PUBLICATION | As highlighted in this CHEST Journal article, the COVID-19 pandemic has revealed just how unprepared most countries have been to deal with widescale, rapidly increasing outbreaks of viral pneumonia.

Markets Matter: Closing the Oxygen Gap

MULTIMEDIA | This campaign for World Pneumonia Day 2020 provides messaging, visuals, and tools to raise awareness on improvements in diagnosis and treatment, including oxygen therapy, for COVID-19 and pneumonia cases.

Priority Medical Devices List for the COVID-19 Response and Associated Technical Specifications

GUIDANCE | This document describes the medical devices required for the clinical management of COVID-19, selected and prioritized according to the latest available evidence and interim guidelines.

WHO Priority Medical Devices List for the COVID-19 Response and Associated Technical Specifications

TOOL | This document describes the medical devices required for the clinical management of COVID-19, selected and prioritized according to the latest available evidence and interim guidelines.

COVIDProtocols v2.0

GUIDANCE | COVIDprotocols.org was launched to create open access adaptable protocols for the management of COVID-19 patients, including guidelines focused on COVID-19 care in resource-limited settings.

Improving Hospital Oxygen Systems for COVID-19 in Low-resource Settings: Lessons From the Field

JOURNAL PUBLICATION | As highlighted in this Global Health: Science and Practice article, field experience from African and Asia-Pacific contexts reveal practical strategies whereby hospitals can rapidly improve their oxygen systems.

Biomedical Equipment for COVID-19 Case Management: Malawi Facility Survey Report

REPORT | This report summarizes observations from the collected data of a biomedical equipment survey and is intended to help global and national stakeholders understand COVID-19 treatment capacity in Malawi.

Closing the Medical Oxygen Gap in Sub-Saharan Africa

REPORT | Published by the Institute for Transformative Technologies (ITT) and Oxygen Hub, this report makes the case for a decentralized, hub-and-spoke network of pressure swing adsorption (PSA) plants in sub-Saharan Africa.

The Lifesaving Power of Medical Oxygen

 ARTICLE | The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated global demand for oxygen and made the delivery of oxygen supplies more urgent. WHO is working in the most vulnerable countries to scale up oxygen...

Assessment Report on the Availability of Oxygen and Biomedical Equipment in Health Facilities: City Province of Kinshasa, DRC, Facility Survey Report

REPORT | This report summarizes observations from the collected data of a biomedical equipment survey and is intended to help global and national stakeholders understand COVID-19 treatment capacity in Kinshasa, DRC.

Biomedical Equipment for COVID-19 Case Management: Senegal Facility Survey Report

REPORT | This report summarizes observations from the collected data of a biomedical equipment survey and is intended to help global and national stakeholders understand COVID-19 treatment capacity in Senegal.

Biomedical Equipment for COVID-19 Case Management: Zambia COVID-19 Treatment Facility Survey Report

REPORT | This report summarizes observations from the collected data of a biomedical equipment survey and is intended to help global and national stakeholders understand COVID-19 treatment capacity in Zambia.

Essential Considerations for Building a Medical Oxygen System

PRESENTATION / WEBINAR | This webinar covers essential considerations for building a medical oxygen system, including process and planning considerations, gap analysis and production comparison, and more.

Challenges of Hospital Oxygen Management during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Rural Nepal

JOURNAL PUBLICATION | This article in the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene argues it is imperative that scalable, sustainable approaches to provisioning oxygen to those in greatest need are considered at...

Essential Considerations Related to Installing a PSA Plant

PRESENTATION / WEBINAR | This webinar covers essential considerations related to installing a PSA plant, including conducting a scope and need analysis, considering overall cost, looking at the advantages of piping, and more.

Barriers to Access for MNCH Medical Devices: Landscape Review of Existing Evidence

REPORT | This report outlines the results of a rapid desk research exercise on maternal, neonatal, and child health (MNCH) medical devices and the challenges/barriers they face.

Enabling Remote Melghat’s Journey to Self-sufficiency in Medical Oxygen

INFORMATION BRIEF | This case study from Melghat in Maharashtra’s Amravati district offers insights into the challenges faced in improving and strengthening oxygen systems in difficult-to-reach areas.

WHO Technical Consultation on Oxygen Access Scale Up for COVID-19

GUIDANCE | WHO convened a consultation, held over four meetings, with groups that have proven experience implementing oxygen scale up activities to accelerate oxygen access at the country level.

Madagascar’s National Strategic Plan for Oxygen Therapy (2021-2023)

GOVERNMENT POLICY / STRATEGY | This strategic plan for oxygen therapy aims to achieve 100% oxygen coverage at each level of the health system in Madagascar, through autonomy of oxygen production at the regional level...

WHO Pakistan Biomedical Equipment Survey

REPORT | This report highlights an assessment of biomedical equipment in Pakistan, especially focusing on oxygen supply systems.

National Roadmap to Increase Access to Medical Oxygen in Liberia (2021-2024)

GOVERNMENT POLICY / STRATEGY | This roadmap is intended to guide implementation and coordination of oxygen activities in Liberia, to provide cost estimates for implementation, and to support resource mobilization efforts.

World Bank-Oxygen Management in Kerala. What Made the State Oxygen Positive?

INFORMATION BRIEF | Kerala’s ability to treat COVID-19 cases is a result of the timely steps that the state government took to strengthen its medical oxygen capacities. Kerala’s initiatives offer valuable insights into...

Compendium of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on Oxygen Ecosystem

TOOL | This compendium of frequently asked questions has been compiled from the audience questions that were posed during the webinar series on Oxygen Ecosystem conducted during September and October 2021. The...

Medical Devices Maintenance Campaign: An Experience of COVID-19 Emergency Response in Ethiopia

JOURNAL PUBLICATION | Published in Research Journal of Pharmacy and Technology, this paper presents the medical devices maintenance campaign experience conducted in Ethiopia as part of COVID-19 emergency response.

Strengthening Access to Medical Oxygen for Women’s and Children’s Health

PRESENTATION / WEBINAR | This webinar discusses medical oxygen needs for women and children, highlighting the various medical oxygen delivery systems, and presenting a series of technical resources in PATH’s Oxygen Delivery Toolkit.

Breathing Life into the Fight against COVID-19 in the Far-flung Villages in Kupwara District of Kashmir

INFORMATION BRIEF | These case studies from Dab Bal and Machil villages in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kupwara district offer insights into the challenges of strengthening oxygen systems in difficult-to-reach areas.

Cambodia Oxygen Preparedness Plan (2022-2025)

GOVERNMENT POLICY / STRATEGY | The objective of this Oxygen Preparedness Plan is to identify and implement priority activities which urgently need to be undertaken to respond to the current COVID-19 outbreak in Cambodia.

From Production to Patient: A Roadmap to Strengthen Oxygen Access in Malawi

 ARTICLE | PATH partnered with the Malawi Ministry of Health and UNICEF to develop and launch of a roadmap to establish and maintain a comprehensive national medical oxygen ecosystem.

Journey of Making a Community Health Center in Hard-to-reach Kuchai Self-sufficient in Oxygen Management

INFORMATION BRIEF | This case study aims to capture the collaborative efforts to install an oxygen generation plant in one of the most remote and hard-to-reach areas of Kuchai block in Saraikela Kharsawan...

Malawi’s National Medical Oxygen Ecosystem Roadmap (2021-2026)

GOVERNMENT POLICY / STRATEGY | This oxygen roadmap provides a structured and attainable plan to establish and maintain a comprehensive national medical oxygen ecosystem in Malawi.

Medical Oxygen Supplier Landscape in Vietnam

REPORT | This report examines the state of medical oxygen supply in Vietnam and offers insights into the strengths and weaknesses of the oxygen supply system.

How to Design and Implement National Oxygen Roadmaps for Oxygen Scale Up: Case Study from Ethiopia

 ARTICLE | In 2016, the Ethiopian Ministry of Health designed and implemented a comprehensive oxygen and pulse oximetry scale up road map, which resulted in significant improvements in oxygen availability and clinical...

Assessment Report on the Availability of Oxygen and Biomedical Equipment in Health Facilities: DRC Facility Survey Report

REPORT | This report summarizes observations from the collected data of a biomedical equipment survey and is intended to help global and national stakeholders understand COVID-19 treatment capacity in DRC.

Prevalence of Hypoxemia in Children with Pneumonia in Low-income and Middle-income Countries: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

JOURNAL PUBLICATION | Published in The Lancet Global Health, this study presents an estimated number of children who are admitted to hospital due to pneumonia with hypoxemia annually.

NEST360 Qualified Technologies

TOOL | The NEST360 qualified technologies are a list of newborn care technologies best suited for use in low-resource setting hospitals, including being effective, affordable, rugged, and simple to use.

Oxygen (O2) Planner—A Digital Solution for COVID-19 Preparedness

INFORMATION BRIEF | This success story talks about a digital tool – the O2 planner – that was an immediate-term planning tool for facilities, districts, private health sector, or public health practitioners in...

Checklist for Pre-commissioning/Pre-startup Review of Medical Gas Piping Systems

TOOL | This tool is meant to be a checklist for the pre-commissioning or pre-start-up of oxygen medical gas piping system.

Checklists for Liquid Medical Oxygen Storage Tank Systems

TOOL | These tools provide a checklist for pre-commissioning and then pre-installation of stand-up liquid medical oxygen storage tanks.

Strengthening Oxygen Utilization and Respiratory Care Ecosystems (SOURCE) Project

INFORMATION BRIEF | This factsheet offers an overview of the Strengthening Oxygen Utilization and Respiratory Care Ecosystems (SOURCE) project to support countries to equitably improve oxygen access.

Technical Support Units for Better Health Outcomes: Insights from USAID NISHTHA’s Assistance in Strengthening Oxygen Ecosystem in India

REPORT | This document dives deeper into the role of six states in India’s technical support units (TSUs) in strengthening the oxygen management systems – highlighting their contributions and impact on the...

The Long Road to Oxygen Sufficiency: The Experience of Sai Dhanwantri COVID-19 Hospital in Yavatmal

INFORMATION BRIEF | This case study from Yavatmal district of Maharashtra narrates the challenges faced by a remote hospital set up by a local trust during the oxygen crisis of COVID-19 second wave.

Basic Course for Planning and Managing Medical Oxygen

COURSE / TRAINING VIDEO | This course aims to improve the planning and management of medical oxygen and to strengthen the rational, sustainable, and safe use of medical oxygen across the Americas.

Oxygen Concentrator Specifications

TOOL | This sheet is a living document and is being populated with specifications of oxygen concentrators.

Strengthening Oxygen Data Management Systems: Zambia Oxygen Data Dashboard Report

REPORT | This report provides survey results related to use of Zambia’s oxygen data dashboard, which demonstrates that the majority of respondents were aware of the dashboard, but most did not use...

Strengthening Oxygen Systems in Asia and the Pacific: Guidance Note

GUIDANCE | This guidance note provides a comprehensive overview of medical oxygen production, distribution, and use in Asia and the Pacific region, and explores how to improve systems over the medium and...

Eswatini’s National Medical Oxygen Operational Plan (2023-2025)

GOVERNMENT POLICY / STRATEGY | The overarching objective of this National Medical Oxygen Operational Plan 2023-2025 is to improve access to medical oxygen for all people in Eswatini and ensure effective use to save lives...

Celebrating Progress toward Better Oxygen Access: Year 1 of Malawi’s Oxygen Roadmap

 ARTICLE |

How Rwanda’s COVID-19 Response Strengthened its Strategy on Medical Oxygen

 ARTICLE | Rwanda’s national COVID-19 response strategy greatly increased the provision of oxygen to its health facilities, which became a determining factor in the survival of the population.

Oxygen Inequity in the COVID-19 Pandemic and Beyond

JOURNAL PUBLICATION | This article in Global Health: Science and Practice highlights how expedited solutions must be balanced with locally-led and context-specific sustainability planning for oxygen sourcing and supply infrastructures.

Global Oxygen Alliance (GO2AL)

MULTIMEDIA |

The Global Oxygen Alliance is designed to provide sustained support for low- and middle-income countries to fill yawning gaps in the availability and supply of medical oxygen.

WHO Resolution: Increasing Access to Medical Oxygen

TOOL | This World Health Organization (WHO) resolution recognizes and reaffirms the critical role of medical oxygen in resilient health systems planning and in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals for health.

Zambian National Medical Oxygen Strategic Plan (2022–2026)

GOVERNMENT POLICY / STRATEGY | The Zambian National Medical Oxygen Strategic Plan 2022–2026 provides strategic direction for ensuring the supply of safe medical oxygen needed to manage clients with respiratory conditions, including COVID-19.

WHO List of Priority Medical Devices for Management of Cardiovascular Diseases and Diabetes

TOOL | This publication was developed in response to the need for a reference list of priority medical devices required for management of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), focusing on cardiovascular diseases and diabetes.

COVID-19 Tele-Education Series Resource Library

REPOSITORY / TOOLKIT | This resource library, managed by Assist International, provides various tools and resources on COVID-19 treatment and care, including surgical care, oxygen therapy, infection control, and resource planning.

Ethiopian Medical Oxygen Roadmap II (2022-2027)

GOVERNMENT POLICY / STRATEGY | Their second iteration, this oxygen roadmap provides a comprehensive approach to overcome the prevailing bottlenecks and improve access to medical oxygen, diagnostics, and hypoxemia management in health facilities at all...

Market Intelligence for Sustaining Oxygen Generation Plant Investments

INFORMATION BRIEF | There are critical gaps in the oxygen generation plant market and operational challenges that put existing and newly procured plants at risk of falling into disrepair. Between 2021 and 2023...

After Landmark Meeting, Leading Health Organizations Reinforce Their Support for Countries to Integrate Medical Oxygen into Health System Planning

 ARTICLE | Members of the Global Oxygen Alliance (GO2AL) call on ministries of health, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) to reinforce their commitment to integrating medical oxygen into their national...

Medical Oxygen Ecosystem Capacity Assessment for Kenya

REPORT | This report analyzes data collected via facility assessments to provide a snapshot of the medical oxygen ecosystem from 113 health facilities in seven counties across Kenya. The purpose of this...

Medical Oxygen Ecosystem Capacity Assessment for Senegal

REPORT | This report analyzes and presents data collected during facility assessments of 114 health facilities in 14 provinces across Senegal, by service ward, to provide a snapshot of the country’s medical...

Medical Oxygen Ecosystem Capacity Assessment for Tanzania

REPORT | The purpose of the assessment is quantifying the country’s capacity to produce, distribute, and utilize medical oxygen. The results estimated projected oxygen needs in the country to be 29,000 liters...

Medical Oxygen Ecosystem Capacity Assessment for the Democratic Republic of the Congo

REPORT | This report analyzes data collected through facility assessments from 340 health facilities in 26 provinces across DRC to provide a snapshot of their medical oxygen ecosystem. The purpose of this...

Medical Oxygen Ecosystem Gap Assessment for Zambia

REPORT | This report analyzes data collected during facility assessments of 91 health facilities in ten provinces across Zambia, by service ward type, to provide a snapshot of the country’s medical oxygen...