NextBillion - An Initiative of the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan

After years of campaigning, the pharmaceutical industry is inching forward in providing access to life-saving medicines in low-income countries, though much remains to be done. But healthcare is not only about drugs and vaccines. The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed a neglected access crisis in another vital area: medical oxygen.

Across much of Africa, as well as parts of Asia and Latin America, a lack of medical oxygen is leaving doctors unable to treat patients.

In the battle against the pandemic, low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) currently need some nine million cubic meters of oxygen every day, an unprecedented amount. Unfortunately, almost half of hospitals in these countries have an inconsistent—or non-existent—supply, resulting in unnecessary patient deaths and huge bills for families forced to purchase costly cylinders on the private market for relatives.