Local Manufacturers Drive New Initiative to Boost East Africa’s Medical Oxygen Supply
Kenyan manufacturer Synergy’s new medical oxygen manufacturing unit is unveiled in Mombasa, supported by Unitaid.

A sod-turning ceremony in Mombasa, Kenya, on Tuesday marked the launch of the East African Programme on Oxygen Access (EAPOA), which aims to massively boost access to medical oxygen in the region.

Unitaid is investing $22 million in support for Kenyan manufacturers Hewatele and Synergy, and Tanzania Oxygen Limited to set up Africa’s first liquid oxygen regional manufacturing initiative. 

Medical oxygen is an essential lifesaving medicine used to treat a wide range of diseases and chronic heart and lung conditions including pneumonia, COVID-19, advanced HIV infection, severe tuberculosis and malaria. It is also vital for maternal and newborn survival as well as in surgeries, emergency, and critical care. 

Yet many parts of sub-Saharan Africa remain severely under-resourced with some countries accessing less than 10% of the oxygen they need.

The initiative is projected to save 154,000 lives in the two countries alone over the next decade, with the three manufacturers expanding the production capacity threefold by over 60 tons per day, enabling treatment of thousands of additional patients each month.

“The key role of medical oxygen at all levels of care cannot be over-emphasised. Kenya’s drive towards universal health coverage requires uninterrupted access to all health products and technologies including medical oxygen,” said Harry Kimtai, Principal Secretary of the Ministry of Health of Kenya.

“I congratulate Unitaid and all their partners for making funding available and providing technical support to make this possible. We look forward to working together to continue advancing initiatives that boost availability of other health products and technologies apart from medical oxygen”

 

“This is Africa’s first regional manufacturing approach to increasing access to medical oxygen,” according to Unitaid, which is working with governments in both countries and other partners.

“The program aims to expand medical oxygen production by 300% in East Africa and reduce oxygen prices by up to 27%, making it more affordable for health care systems across the region, and enabling treatment of thousands of additional patients each month,” added Unitaid in a media release.

The Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI) will lead on market strategy, while PATH will focus on community and civil society engagement. 

Blended financing

“Using an innovative blended financing approach that combines grants awarded to Unitaid by Canada and Japan, concessional loans, and support from MedAccess through volume guarantees, this program will strengthen the capacity of Kenyan and Tanzanian oxygen suppliers, fostering competition in the market and ensuring a sustainable, affordable oxygen supply across East and Southern Africa,” according to Unitaid.

 The EAPOA aims to develop a regional network of liquid oxygen production facilities, known as air separation units, to ensure medical oxygen reaches underserved communities. 

Air separation units produce bulk liquid oxygen, which is the gold standard for medical applications, with compact storage, economic efficiencies, and high purity level. However, building these units requires significant capital investment.

Aside from the Mombasa facility, other facilities are planned in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi, Kenya, and Tanzania’s Dar es Salaam. 

These will serve as the key hubs for the production and distribution of liquid medical oxygen to their home countries and their neighbours, including Malawi, Mozambique, Uganda and Zambia. 

Medical oxygen is essential for treatment many illnesses.

“The Mombasa facility is just the beginning of a larger effort to transform oxygen access across Africa,” said Unitaid executive director Dr Philippe Duneton. 

“Medical oxygen is critical for saving lives, yet too many health facilities in this region struggle with access. By working together with Kenyan and Tanzanian manufacturers and other partners, we are ensuring that oxygen is no longer a luxury but a basic right for all patients, especially in times of critical need.” 

The program is part of a broader Unitaid strategy to increase regional and local production of essential health products in Africa, in line with continental initiatives to enhance health security, such as Africa CDC’s Partnership for the Harmonization of African Health Products Manufacturing. 

“The Project will focus on three main aspects ensuring its sustainability,” said CHAI country director of East and Southern Africa, Gerald Macharia.

“Well-placed infrastructure selected in partnership with Ministries of Health, longer-term budgeting for liquid oxygen supply, and the grant/ loan /volume guarantees available to companies, which aim to facilitate lower pricing, patient access, and regular payment for services in the long-term.” 

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