A new volume guarantee agreement between MedAccess and Synergy Gases Ltd (Synergy) has been announced by edAccess, Unitaid, and the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI) with the goal of increasing access to reasonably priced oxygen for medical usage throughout sub-Saharan Africa. The East Africa Program on Oxygen Access (EAPOA), the continent’s first regional effort to expand access to medical oxygen, has made significant progress with this agreement.
Synergy will supply medical oxygen to public and private hospitals throughout Kenya at or below a stipulated ceiling price as part of the volume guarantee. The oxygen will be made at a brand-new, cutting-edge facility that is presently being built close to Kilifi County, Kenya, as part of the EAPOA’s initiatives to increase regional production of medical-grade liquid oxygen. The distribution of oxygen to hospitals throughout Kenya as well as into portions of Tanzania and Uganda will then be supported by a hub-and-spoke scheme.
The managing director of Synergy Gases Ltd., Paras Pandya, stated, “We are proud to be a part of this ground-breaking agreement with MedAccess, which aims to expand access to life-saving medical oxygen throughout East Africa.” “Our new plant in Kilifi County supports the EAPOA objective and is a major step toward guaranteeing regional oxygen security. We appreciate the strategic assistance that Unitaid and CHAI have given us. Their collaboration has been crucial to realizing this goal.
In order to guarantee that medical oxygen reaches underprivileged areas throughout the region, the EAPOA is creating a regional network of liquid oxygen manufacturing facilities, often referred to as air separation units that are positioned strategically throughout Kenya and Tanzania. The initiative, which is funded by Unitaid with contributions from Canada and Japan, employs a mixed financing model that blends market-shaping measures like volume guarantees, which are supplied by MedAccess when necessary, with catalytic grant support. The project is run by CHAI in partnership with PATH and the Tanzanian and Kenyan governments.
MedAccess CEO Michael Anderson stated, “Medical oxygen is a life-saving tool that is too often unavailable when patients urgently need it.” “MedAccess is happy to offer a strong, cutting-edge financing option to support the expansion of regional liquid oxygen production, which can thereafter be supplied at steady costs. We are dedicated to assisting nation-led strategies to expand access to this crucial medicinal substance in collaboration with the EAPOA partners.
“It’s more crucial than ever to support country-led solutions that create long-term resilience as the global health landscape changes,” stated Dr. Philippe Duneton, Executive Director of Unitaid. “This collaboration represents a new paradigm, wherein governments, regional producers, and international partners collaborate to enhance regional supply and guarantee that vital instruments such as medical oxygen are easily accessible, reasonably priced, and consistently available where they are most needed.”
In order to make medical oxygen more accessible for healthcare systems throughout the region and allow for the treatment of thousands more patients each month, the EAPOA seeks to increase medical oxygen production in East Africa by 300 percent and lower oxygen prices by up to 27 percent.
Zach Katz, Vice President of Child Health at the Clinton Health Access Initiative, stated, “This volume guarantee represents a critical breakthrough in making medical oxygen accessible where it’s needed most.” “We’re not only addressing the current oxygen shortages by collaborating with regional manufacturers like Synergy and utilizing creative financing methods; we’re laying the groundwork for long-lasting, locally owned health infrastructure that will benefit communities throughout East Africa for many years to come.”
