REPRESENTATIVES from the European Union (EU) and the World Health Organization (WHO) recently handed over 200 oxygen concentrators and relevant consumables to the Health Department.
The donation, valued at more than P7 million, will support local pandemic preparedness and capacity of health facilities amid the surge of new coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) variants, according to the EU Delegation in the Philippines.
With the EU, WHO Philippines had also distributed 250 pre-filled oxygen cylinders, valued at P2.6 million, to 11 health sites in seven regions in the country.
“A few battles [had] been won already, but the fight is still on! With our EU member-states, we have provided over 35 million Covid-19 vaccine doses to the Philippines through the COVAX facility, and more doses have been exported from the [bloc to this country],” said EU Ambassador Luc Véron.
“[We] are pleased that, through our financial assistance, the WHO has swiftly managed to provide oxygen therapy for Covid-19 patients. This will benefit some of the most vulnerable persons in need of therapy—including elderly persons affected by other respiratory diseases, pregnant women and newborns, especially in the most remote areas of the country,” added Véron. “This will lead to saving more lives, and an overall strengthening of the health system.”
The oxygen cylinders were distributed to 11 health facilities, as far as Batanes General Hospital in the north and Zamboanga City Medical Center in the south. These commodities proved most beneficial to hospitals that had reported shortages of medical-grade oxygen due to logistical or production issues. With this support, those with Covid-19 infections can have urgent life-saving care, according to the delegation.
“About 20 percent of Covid-19 patients will require oxygen therapy to prevent respiratory failure. Early and ready access to medical oxygen can make all the difference to patients developing severe…and with severe Covid-19,” shared Dr. Rabindra Abeyasinghe, WHO representative to the Philippines. “WHO remains committed to supporting the Department of Health [DOH in reducing the loss of lives through supporting expansion of access and availability of medical oxygen, as the country deals] with emerging variants of the virus such as Omicron.”
At present the Philippines has several limitations and challenges in oxygen production and supply, the delegation said. The country only has five major medical-grade oxygen cryogenic plants, which are private companies in Luzon. About half of the DOH-operated hospitals across the country—or 34 out of 66—have their own oxygen-generating plant, while other health facilities rely on private distributors of medical oxygen supplies, which may have limited production capacities.
Also, supplies like oxygen tanks, cylinders, and concentrators have to be imported, since the country does not have any local manufacturer of such supplies.
Image credits: @EUAMBPH