Resources

PATH, in collaboration with the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) Ministry of Health, conducted a biomedical equipment survey in health facilities in DRC from November 2023 through December 2023.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 work is to quantify existing oxygen delivery and production equipment, consumables for administering oxygen therapy, bed capacity, and facility infrastructure characteristics. The survey included a mix of public and private health facilities of multiple levels, including provincial (HPR), secondary (HGR), and tertiary hospitals (university).The results demonstrate that the availability of oxygen services and respiratory care equipment is highly variable in health facilities in DRC. Pulse oximeters were entirely absent in 34% of facilities. The limited quantity of small equipment and delivery devices, such as flowmeters and cannulas, also varies considerably in availability and constrains the accessibility of available oxygen supply to patients.

PATH, in collaboration with the Kenya Ministry of Health, conducted a biomedical equipment survey in health facilities across the country from December 2023 and January 2024.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 work is to quantify bed capacity, facility infrastructure characteristics, consumables for administering oxygen therapy, and existing oxygen delivery and production equipment.The survey included a mix of public health facilities of multiple levels, including level 3, 4, and 5 facilities that per Kenya’s standards should provide respiratory care. The results demonstrated that the availability of oxygen services and respiratory care equipment is highly variable in health facilities in Kenya. Nineteen facilities (17 percent) reported possessing on-site pressure swing adsorption plants for continuous reliable oxygen delivery to patients. Most facilities that provide services with high demand for oxygen (maternity, surgical, and intensive care wards) also possessed oxygen concentrators and cylinders to provide a reliable supply.The quantity of small equipment and delivery devices such as flowmeters and cannulas varies considerably in availability, and will limit the accessibility of available oxygen supply to patients.

PATH, in collaboration with the Senegal Ministry of Health, conducted a biomedical equipment survey in health facilities from November 2023 to December 2023.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 oxygen ecosystem.The purpose of this work is to quantify existing oxygen delivery and production equipment, consumables for administering oxygen therapy, and bed capacity, and to understand facility infrastructure characteristics. The survey included a mix of public and private health facilities at multiple levels—including health posts, two levels of health centers, and three levels of public health hospitals.The results demonstrated that the availability of oxygen services and respiratory care equipment is highly variable across health facilities in Senegal. For example, 26 percent of facilities lack any pulse oximeters. Of the facilities surveyed, 44 (42 percent) reported possessing an on-site pressure swing adsorption plant for continuous, reliable oxygen delivery to patients.Most facilities that provide services with high demand for oxygen (e.g., maternity, surgical, and intensive care units) also possess oxygen concentrators. By contrast, cylinder use was not widely reported with few facilities keeping large stocks of cylinders to provide reliable supply.The available quantity of small equipment and delivery devices such as flowmeters and cannulas also varies considerably, which can limit the accessibility of available oxygen supply to patients.

The United Republic of Tanzania conducted a respiratory care equipment survey in a random sample, targeting 160 high-volume health facilities (15 regional referral hospitals, 45 district hospitals, 60 health centers, and 45 dispensaries).A random sampling approach was completed by PATH, Tanzania’s Ministry of Health (MOH), and the President’s Office, Regional Administration and Local Government (PO-RALG) to ensure high-quality data generation and to avoid biases. 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 per minute. Results from this survey demonstrate that oxygen required to meet estimated oxygen needs currently produced within the country is only 20 percent.

PATH, in collaboration with the Zambia Ministry of Health, conducted a biomedical equipment survey (BMES) in health facilities across the country in November and December 2023.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 ecosystem. The purpose of this work is to quantify existing oxygen delivery and production equipment, consumables for administering oxygen therapy, and bed capacity, and to understand facility infrastructure characteristics. The BMES included a mix of public health facilities that represent the multiple hospital levels: first-level (district), second-level (provincial), and third- level (national) hospitals, as well as specialized hospitals (fourth level).The results demonstrated that the availability of oxygen services and respiratory care equipment is highly variable across health facilities. For example, 12% of facilities lack pulse oximeters altogether, and 12 facilities (13%) reported possession of an on-site pressure swing adsorption plant for continuous, reliable oxygen delivery to patients. Most facilities that provide services with high demand for oxygen (e.g., maternity and surgical wards and intensive care units [ICUs]) also possess oxygen concentrators and cylinders to ensure a reliable supply. The availability of small equipment and delivery devices, such as flowmeters and cannulas, varies considerably, which can limit the ability to access available oxygen supplies.