UNICEF and WHO combine forces to increase access to oxygen

09 Dec UNICEF and WHO combine forces to increase access to oxygen

Posted at 14:28h in Article by Leith Greenslade

From Every Breath Counts members, WHO and UNICEF

In 2017, UNICEF and WHO formed a strategic collaboration to improve access to oxygen therapy in low-resource settings. This collaboration aims to reduce information asymmetry and bottlenecks in the accessibility of oxygen products through three main outputs: the development and promotion of inter-agency technical specifications and guidance (as part of the WHO Technical Series); an updated UNICEF Supply Catalogue to include a complete selection of oxygen system products needed to deliver oxygen to a child; and the development of a decision-assist tool to support governments with oxygen system planning and procurement.

UNICEF and WHO are pleased to announce that the first project output – the publication of WHO-UNICEF Technical Specifications and Guidance for Oxygen Therapy Devices – is now available for download from the WHO website this World Pneumonia Day. The purpose of this interagency publication is to provide health facility administrators, procurement officers, engineers and others with harmonized product specifications for a wide range of oxygen products, and to provide guidance on the selection, procurement, use and maintenance of these products. The publication includes technical specifications for a set of 15 essential devices to deliver basic oxygen therapy.

Throughout the remainder of 2019, UNICEF will be concluding their tendering activities for this project and will announce in 2020 the new range of oxygen products available in the Supply Catalogue. With new Long-Term Agreements in place with suppliers, UNICEF country offices and local partners will be able to source 20 quality and fit-for-purpose products for delivering oxygen therapy through UNICEF procurement services, including two sizes of oxygen concentrator, three types of pulse oximeters, devices to regulate flow and devices to deliver oxygen to patients such as nasal prongs and catheters.

User needs validation and testing are underway for the third output – the prototype decision-assist tool for oxygen system planning. Through a consultative process with global experts, as well as in-country validation exercises with UNICEF country offices and ministries of health, learnings from this phase of work will be used to inform plans for further development of a web-based tool, so that it can be more widely available to countries and their supporting implementing partners.

Every child in need of oxygen should have access to appropriate oxygen therapy. The resources and tools disseminated as part of this joint effort will support ministries of health and other implementing partners to select and procure the technologies needed to ensure oxygen supply is available to those in need, especially children suffering from severe pneumonia in low-resource settings.

December 2019