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Direct Relief to Boost Global Oxygen Supply Amid Covid-19-Caused Shortages with $5 Million Investment
Hospitals in low-resource settings, faced with deadly waves of the coronavirus, are finding themselves unable to meet skyrocketing oxygen needs. Direct Relief is working to change that.
A worker sorts oxygen cylinders being used for Covid-19 patients at a facility in Jawaharlal Nehru Hospital in Ajmer, Rajasthan. (Photo by Shaukat Ahmed/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images)
As the Covid-19 pandemic causes deadly oxygen shortages worldwide, Direct Relief is committing $5 million to equip healthcare providers in under-resourced communities with dependable, resilient, and efficient oxygen systems to treat patients.
“Limited availability of medical-grade oxygen was a chronic challenge before the Covid pandemic, but it has been a recurring, acute crisis since it’s essential to treat people who become most ill from the virus,” said Thomas Tighe, Direct Relief President and CEO. “That’s why Direct Relief is devoting focused resources to increase availability in the highest-need areas.”
Direct Relief’s commitment adds to more than $15 million invested already by the organization to respond to recurring crises of Covid-19-related oxygen shortages by providing, among other things, more than 33,000 oxygen concentrators reaching healthcare providers in 52 countries — from the U.S. to Brazil, India, Nepal, Yemen, and more.
Investing in Sustainable Oxygen Production
Even before the pandemic, medical-grade oxygen was scarce in much of the world, in part due to cost and the need to transport oxygen cylinders hundreds of miles via cryogenic tankers, from production plants to hospitals, then back for refilling. Pandemic-induced supply chain issues have only exacerbated the problem, especially in countries relying exclusively on imports.
“We’ve seen repeatedly that Covid-19 causes a sudden spike in demand for medical oxygen that completely outpaces the local supply,” said Emergency Response Director Dan Hovey. “No surge capacity exists for oxygen.”
A 25-ton shipment of medical aid including 860 Direct Relief-purchased oxygen concentrators arrived via air charter in Kathmandu, Nepal on Fri. May 28, 2021 amid a surge in Covid-19 cases.(Photo: Pranjal Sharma/Direct Relief)
HOPE Hospital staff in Bangladesh receive critical Covid-19 relief supplies including 100 oxygen concentrators, PPE, thermometers, and more. August, 2021. (Photo courtesy of HOPE Hospital)
Oxygen concentrators from Direct Relief were loaded into helicopters for remote communities in the Himalayas. Aug. 2021. (Mountain Heart Nepal photo)
Staff at the American University of Beirut Medical Center assemble high-flow oxygen concentrators, purchased with a grant from Direct Relief. (Photo courtesy of Anera)
On June 18th, 2021, American University of Beirut Medical Center in Lebanon received of a Direct Relief shipment of containing, among other items, two oxygen supply systems to help treat Covid-19 patients. (Photos courtesy of Anera)
Oxygen concentrators from Direct Relief arrive in Manaus, Brazil, on Saturday, February 13, 2021. (Courtesy photo)
200 oxygen concentrators staged at Direct Relief’s warehouse on April 22, 2021, bound for health providers in Brazil. (Lara Cooper/Direct Relief)
Oxygen concentrators staged at Direct Relief’s California headquarters for delivery to Covid-19-impacted areas across the globe on May 11, 2021. (Lara Cooper/Direct Relief)
Medical aid from Direct Relief arrived in Delhi, India, on May 16, 2021, with 1.8 million KN95 masks and oxygen concentrators requested by hospitals dealing with Covid-19 surges in the region. (Direct Relief photo)
Oxygen concentrators staged at Direct Relief’s California headquarters for delivery to areas impacted by Covid-19. May 11, 2021. (Lara Cooper/Direct Relief)
A FedEx Boeing 777 charter flight bound for Mumbai with medical aid from Direct Relief including 3,400 oxygen concentrators and converters. (Tony Morain/Direct Relief)
A donated FedEx Boeing 777 charter flight, organized by Direct Relief, departed Newark, NJ, with supplies including oxygen equipment for New Delhi, India on May 15-16, 2021. (Photo courtesy of FedEx)
A medical provider at AltaMed Health Services in California provides care to a patient in December 2020. The health center provided at-home oxygen treatment to Covid-patients discharged from intensive care unit. (Courtesy photo)
Emergency medical supplies, including 200 oxygen concentrators, were prepped Jan. 12, 2021 at Direct Relief’s warehouse for delivery to Lancaster, California, as the facility cared for an influx of Covid-19 patients. (Tony Morain/Direct Relief)
A sustainable alternative to imported oxygen exists in pressure swing adsorption (PSA) plants, which separate oxygen from other gases onsite at hospitals.
Direct Relief has funded permanent oxygen-generating plants at hospitals in several countries to ensure a reliable oxygen supply. The organization is also joining Every Breath Counts, a public-private coalition including UN agencies, businesses, academic institutions, and Build Health International, to build and restore PSA plants in countries such as Dominica, India, Nepal, and Madagascar.
PSA plants can meet the oxygen needs at most facilities; however, in low-resource settings, PSA plants often require repair.
For example, in Nepal last year, as the delta variant swept the country, Dhulikhel Hospital needed 150-200 oxygen cylinders every 24 hours to care for patients in its 136 Covid-19 beds. Its PSA plant was only generating 60 cylinders per day. Staff member Sanil Shrestha described waiting overnight at a local oxygen factory in the hopes of being able to bring more supplies to Dhulikhel’s patients.
With funding from Direct Relief, Build Health International diagnosed the problem and got Dhulikhel’s plant running at full capacity.
To track the estimated need for oxygen need in low & middle-income countries, Direct Relief, in collaboration with Every Breath Counts, developed a map and data dashboard. The tool also displays crowdsourced reports of oxygen plants requiring repair.
“Organizations like Direct Relief have an absolutely critical role to play in preventing oxygen shortages in low-resource settings,” said Leith Greenslade, the coordinator of Every Breath Counts and an expert on oxygen supply shortages. “We need very nimble humanitarian agencies that can almost operate in a parallel universe.”
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