Why are oxygen generator important? Oxygen is a therapeutic medical gas that can save lives and is commonly used to treat patients with severe pneumonia and other respiratory illnesses such as 2019 coronavirus disease.

An oxygen generator is an electrically powered medical device that first draws in air, removes nitrogen, then produces a continuous source of oxygen and delivers concentrated oxygen in a controlled manner to patients who need respiratory support. Oxygen generator also have the advantage of easy transportation, which brings convenience to users and health care workers. A single oxygen generator can supply oxygen to two adults and five children simultaneously.

The oxygen generator can support the treatment of critically ill patients with 2019 coronavirus disease. In the long term, it can also help treat childhood pneumonia (one of the leading causes of death in children under five years of age) and hypoxemia (an important sign of patient death).

UNICEF is working globally to overcome logistics, transportation, trade and pricing constraints and volatility by working with governments around the world to consolidate demand and with manufacturers, including those from China, to reach long-term agreements on acceptable pricing, capacity and a geographically diverse supply base.

Respiratory Support for Patients with COVID-19. Approximately 15% of patients with COVID-19 are classified as "critically ill" and require oxygen therapy, which is the uninterrupted delivery of oxygen through the nostrils. Oxygen is usually provided through an oxygen generator in combination with a nasal cannula and can be used at the primary care or initial health system referral level.

The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed the oxygen deficit faced by many low- and middle-income countries. For many affected children in the poorest countries, oxygen therapy remains an inaccessible luxury outside of urban hospitals and private health care facilities. Oxygen can also help with a variety of medical emergencies, such as emergency obstetric (delivery) care, surgery and anesthesia.

As of the end of July 2021, UNICEF had shipped 62,046 oxygen generators to 104 countries, valued at more than $46.29 million. Of these, UNICEF ordered 12,788 oxygen machines from a Chinese trading company, valued at more than $7.82 million.

Oxygen machines in UNICEF programs In 2020, UNICEF, with support from China's National International Development Cooperation Agency (CIDCA) and in partnership with host governments, launched programs to improve maternal, newborn and child health in DRC, Ethiopia, Kenya, Niger, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Sudan and Zimbabwe. Oxygen generator are an essential component of ensuring maternal, newborn and child health.

In DRC, the country received two oxygen machines in early September 2020 and deployed them to target areas for safer deliveries in all health facilities.

In Ethiopia, maternal and newborn health technical assistants supporting project implementation found during supervision that primary hospitals lacked critical supplies and equipment for NICU services, including oxygen machines, and overseas procurement has been undertaken based on this situation.

In Kenya, the country has procured 10 oxygen machines and distributed them to the counties as needed and subsequently to health facilities to fill the gap at district and primary health facilities in the target counties.

In Sierra Leone, oxygen generators have been installed and preventive maintenance instruction has been provided to pediatricians, medical officers and nurses in the infant intensive care unit.

In Sudan, the country procured supplies, including oxygen machines, to support two demonstration centers, Saad Abu Elila Hospital and Omdurman Maternity Hospital. during a joint supervision by UNICEF Sudan and the Sudanese Ministry of Health in July 2020, staff noted the poor oxygen system in the neonatal ward at Omdurman Maternity Hospital and agreed to provide support for its maintenance.

In addition to the China-funded maternal, newborn and child health programs mentioned above, UNICEF works around the world around the clock to ensure that life-saving supplies and equipment reach the most vulnerable populations. For example, after the 2019 coronavirus disease spread to the most remote areas of the Peruvian Amazon, UNICEF shipped 40 oxygen machines to the Peruvian Ministry of Health for distribution to local health care centers in the indigenous populated regions of Amazonas, Loreto and Ucayali. Indigenous communities are one of the epicenters of the outbreak in Peru, where UNICEF supplies and assistance are most needed.

For the COVID-19 patients and the most vulnerable newborns and children, equipment, including oxygen machines procured from China, is critical to saving their lives.