Malawi

This project overview describes the Strengthening Health through Integrated Environmental and Climate Data (SHIELD) initiative, a Wellcome–funded research project focused on improving climate and health decision‑making in Malawi and Pakistan. It outlines the project’s rationale, design principles, partnerships, and core work packages, highlighting how integrated, ministry‑hosted data services can support timely, actionable public health responses to climate risks.

This report summarizes PATH’s supply chain analyses for critical respiratory care equipment and related products, highlighting key gaps, challenges, and opportunities for improvement. It provides background and recommendations for strengthening supply chain systems, and explores alternative models to improve reliability, affordability, and sustainability. Drawing on PATH’s work across consumables, accessories, spare parts, piping systems, oxygen cylinders, pressure swing adsorption plants, and liquid oxygen, the report synthesizes insights to inform strategies that ensure continuous access to life‑saving respiratory care in resource‑constrained settings.

Medical devices are a critical but often overlooked component of effective facility-based care, such as medical oxygen therapy. Medical devices have unique characteristics that make them difficult to manage, particularly in low-resource settings. For instance, devices can serve multiple clinical uses across different health areas, complicating ownership and funding responsibilities. They also often require extensive training, ongoing preventive maintenance, and a reliable supply of specialized parts and accessories.This fact sheet highlights PATH's continued focus on improving access to respiratory care and broader medical devices—building on previous research and initiatives under the Market Dynamics for Medical Devices (MD4MD), Scaling Access to Lifesaving Equipment (SCALE), and Strengthening Oxygen Utilization and Respiratory Care Ecosystems (SOURCE) projects. Building on this extensive foundation, PATH will explore and scale innovative business and operating models, while strengthening underlying data systems for managing medical devices and equipment.

An oxygen generator originally developed by NASA for use in space among the technologies to be piloted across low-resource settings in India, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, and Senegal

Medical oxygen is a critical component of a well-functioning health system, yet only 30 percent of patients in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) who need oxygen receive it. Key access barriers that drive this coverage gap include (1) supply and delivery challenges, such as limited production capacity, costly installation and maintenance requirements, and inadequate procurement and supply systems; (2) affordability, such as high cost of products and lack of local manufacturers; and (3) demand and adoption barriers, such as limited sustainable funding and limited guidelines.This fact sheet offers an overview of the INNOVATE project, which aims to address critical barriers to oxygen access. PATH, through a consortium of partners, will catalyze promising oxygen production and piping technologies, along with innovative operation and maintenance business models, to expand equitable access. By strengthening production and delivery capacity in health facilities and improving efficiency across the oxygen value chain, INNOVATE aims to accelerate the adoption of more cost-effective and sustainable solutions.

A bold scientific effort to reimagine rotavirus vaccination is leaving a lasting legacy—and opening new doors for innovation.

Health workers and biomedical engineers need the right skills to safely deliver and maintain medical oxygen. By investing in sustainable training initiatives, PATH is helping countries convert oxygen availability into access for patients.

Building on lessons from the last six years, PATH is supporting countries as they roll out this lifesaving intervention.

Health systems require the right supplies and equipment to keep oxygen flowing. Supported by the Oxygen Delivery Gap Fund, PATH helped turn oxygen availability into respiratory care access across six African countries.

A short, community-focused guide developed by PATH and partners to raise awareness about the importance of medical oxygen. It explains what medical oxygen is, why it’s vital for saving lives, and how it is used to treat conditions such as pneumonia, complications after childbirth, and COVID-19. The document highlights Malawi’s efforts to expand oxygen access through the National Medical Oxygen Roadmap (2021–2026), training of health workers, and investments in production and maintenance systems. It also corrects common myths and misconceptions about oxygen use, emphasizing that oxygen is safe, effective, and essential for quality health care.