This World Oxygen Day, on 2 October, construction is underway in Kenya and Tanzania on new facilities that will boost access to medical oxygen across East Africa – a vital step toward making sure hospitals and clinics have a steady, affordable supply.
At first glance, the construction sites in coastal Kenya and outside Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, look like any other: scaffolding, cement mixers, workers in helmets. But these aren’t just ordinary building projects. Once complete, they’ll house new facilities that will produce and deliver a vital resource: medical oxygen.
Oxygen is one of the most basic, life-saving medicines there is. It’s what keeps a newborn alive when their tiny lungs struggle to take in air. It’s what doctors rely on in emergency rooms and operating theatres. It can mean the difference between recovery and tragedy. Yet for too long, hospitals across low- and middle-income countries have struggled to keep a steady supply flowing to their patients.
That’s why in 2024, Unitaid and partners launched the East African Program on Oxygen Access (EAPOA) – the first large-scale effort of its kind on the continent to change how oxygen is made, moved, and delivered. The idea is simple but powerful: invest in local production of liquid oxygen, expand distribution networks, and make oxygen more reliable and affordable for the health facilities that need it most. The goal is to reach 1.7 million people by 2027 across East and Southern Africa.
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