A new international health coalition has been launched by Unitaid and a roster of other organisations to boost access to life saving medical oxygen for low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).
Oxygen, a lifesaving medicine to treat acute respiratory illnesses like COVID-19 and pneumonia, is essential for surgery, trauma, emergency and critical care, and treating older persons, pregnant women and newborns. Medical oxygen is also proving to be a critical tool in pandemic preparedness as the world braces itself for potential future outbreaks of respiratory diseases.