Resources

Despite the critical role that medical oxygen plays in the treatment for numerous disease areas, many health facilities still lack access to this lifesaving treatment. This situation is often attributed to the cost of oxygen and related infrastructure; in reality, oxygen access barriers are complex and rarely linked to a single factor. Understanding the prevailing business models for oxygen production, storage, distribution, and delivery can provide important context as to how and why oxygen provision is limited in many countries. Scaling up oxygen globally will require significant shifts in many of the current business models prevalent in low- and middle-income countries.COVID-19 has cast a spotlight on oxygen, a health area that has long been neglected by the global community. With this attention, it is critical that decision-makers and implementers understand the complexities of the oxygen ecosystem, the various business models that comprise it, and how they impact patient access. This brief introduces the oxygen ecosystem that business models operate within and then outlines four types of business models: bulk supply agreements, cash-and-carry filling stations, direct equipment purchases, and equipment leasing.

In West Africa and around the world, scaling up access to oxygen is one of the most effective, and critical, actions that decision-makers can take to improve health outcomes, particularly for vulnerable populations such as newborns, children, and pregnant women. The COVID-19 pandemic has further emphasized the vital role of respiratory care for patients struggling to breathe. Respiratory care requires investment in strengthening health care delivery systems, including supply management and provider training.This brief summarizes Senegal’s and Burkina Faso’s efforts toward establishing a comprehensive and sustainable oxygen system to address respiratory care needs beyond COVID-19, and demonstrates the type of support PATH can provide in this process.

PATH provides immunization support in the DRC, this is the first newsletter of 2021 detailing progress of our work.

L’établissement d’une politique robuste est indispensable à l’amélioration des résultats de santé. Trop souvent, l’action s’arrête cependant une fois la politique élaborée et adoptée. Or une politique n’est efficace que dans la mesure où elle est mise en oeuvre. Une faible exécution ne peut qu’entraver les efforts d’élargissement d’un accès équitable aux services de santé. Pour traduire les objectifs définis en résultats utiles, chaque politique doit être assortie d’un plan d’action, disposer de ressources, prévoir un effort de diffusion et être ouverte à l’adaptation.Divers outils et cadres existants décrivent en détail le processus, les apports nécessaires et les facteurs essentiels à la mise en oeuvre. Pour la plupart, ces ressources sont toutefois conçues pour guider l’action des intervenants au niveau de la décision et/ou de la mise en oeuvre des programmes, et non celle du plaidoyer. Cette ressource embrasse le cycle complet, de l’établissement du programme et de l’élaboration des politiques à leur évaluation et à leur mise en oeuvre. Elle décrit en outre la démarche de plaidoyer apte à soutenir le rôle des décideurs, engager leur redevabilité et assumer la liaison entre la société civile, les prestataires de santé, les intervenants sous-nationaux et les communautés.See the English version of the Capital to Clinic tool here.

This guide gives an overview of existing technologies available for diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. This guide is complementary to policy guidance issued by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and the World Health Organization (WHO).This guide may be useful to a wide range of stakeholders including:Ministries of Health (national, regional and district COVID-19 assigned personnel)Donors supporting diagnostic testing services for COVID-19.Public and private sector organizations with an interest in implementing SARS-CoV-2 diagnostic servicesHealth care providers involved in the diagnosis and management of COVID-19 cases