Increase Access to Medical Oxygen For All
Lack of oxygen is one of the world's leading killers. Oxygen shortages are mainly due to inadequate and inefficient business models failing to aggregate the oxygen demand because the digital infrastructure to drive progress does not exist today. We can solve this systemic problem by investing in low and middle-income countries’ (LMIC) digital infrastructure for oxygen generation, distribution, and delivery.
Philips has been dedicated to advancing primary healthcare in Africa for many years, with a strong focus on Mother and Child Care. At the SDG Moonshot Accelerator, Philips and their partners PATH and the Centre for Public Health - Kenya created a joint moonshot to ensure patients who need medical oxygen receive it as part of primary health care and this critical life saving resource is seen as a utility for all.
They’re team told us more about the inspiration for their moonshot, which would hasten progress towards achieving SDG 3: good health and well-being.
“Our vision is that all patients who need medical oxygen receive access to this life saving medication.”
~ Oxygen as a Utility Team
UA: What inspired your moonshot idea?
Oxygen Team (OT): The World Health Organization (WHO) designated medical oxygen an essential medicine in 2017 before COVID-19. It has no substitution, and it is used to treat a wide range of Acquit Respiratory Distress Syndromes (ARDS) such as pneumonia, pneumothorax in newborns and noncommunicable-diseases such as asthma, heart failure, and COVID-19.
Oxygen shortages are mainly due to inadequate and inefficient business models that fail to aggregate the demand for oxygen because the digital infrastructure to drive progress doesn’t exist today. The result of this leads to poor coordination, high prices and lack of access. It is time to take steps to solve this systemic problem by investing in low and middle-income Countries’ (LMIC) digital infrastructure for oxygen generation, distribution and delivery. Digital transformation would enable countries to finally move away from antiquated data processes.
We believe that USAID can lead the global pursuit for medical oxygen by exercising their Digital Strategy Policy to progress communities on their Journeys to Self-Reliance through efficient, effective and responsible digital initiatives.
Digital transformation has effectively solved many global issues, ranging from the formation of Utility Companies to deliver consistent and reliable water access to electricity being accessible across large geographic regions. Likewise, digital transformation can solve many of the existing challenges contributing to medical oxygen access issues.
UA: What is the impact you hope to make?
OT: Our vision is that all patients who need medical oxygen receive access to life-saving medication. As per UNICEF, shortages of oxygen across LMICs limit the ability to treat childhood pneumonia, claiming the lives of over 700,000 children under five-years-old every single year. That’s approximately 2,000 children and babies dying every day. We want every child to have access to the oxygen they need to give them the highest probability of survival.
UA: What are you hopeful about in 2023?
OT: We hope to see a convening of all oxygen supply chain stakeholders to address the global oxygen shortage. It is our hope that the Biden Administration (White House, USAID, COVID Task Force) will take the initiative as a convener to form the Universal Oxygen Coalition (UOC). It is our vision that coalition members will include oxygen suppliers, manufacturers, distributors, health systems, financial partners, Foundations and NGOs. Under this coalition, we want a Grand Challenge issued, acting as a call to action for all stakeholders to solve this global concern. It would be through this coalition that digital business transformation would be enabled, helping LMIC’s to become self-sufficient with access to oxygen, one country at a time.
Link to full step-by-step moonshot policy proposal coming soon.