Despite its crucial role in saving lives, over 5 billion individuals lack access to safe, affordable medical oxygen—a gap this report aims to address through urgent reforms.
Study: Reducing Global Inequities in Medical Oxygen Access: The Lancet Global Health Commission on Medical Oxygen Security
Medical oxygen, essential as vaccines for public health, remains underfunded. While childhood immunization garners significant investment, medical oxygen access is often neglected despite its comparable cost-effectiveness in saving lives.
Critical for children and adults with various acute and chronic conditions, including those undergoing surgery, medical oxygen should be available to everyone in need. However, current scenarios highlight enduring disparities in accessing this vital public health service.
Launched by The Lancet Global Health Commission, the Medical Oxygen Security initiative seeks to improve access worldwide. To achieve this goal, it calls for comprehensive national plans and global cooperation involving multiple sectors including healthcare, education, industry, energy transport, and more.
