Five billion people worldwide, or roughly two-thirds of the population, do not have access to medical oxygen, and inequalities are greatest in low- and middle-income countries.

Nearly 5 billion people around the world, or two-thirds of the world's population, are not getting adequate medical oxygen. This shocking revelation has been made in the recently published report of the Lancet Global Health Commission on Medical Oxygen Security. According to the report, the highest inequality in the availability of medical oxygen has been found in low and middle-income countries (LMICs), which poses a threat to the lives of millions of patients.

Medical oxygen plays an indispensable role in the treatment of surgery, asthma, trauma, maternal and child care, lung diseases (COPD) and other serious diseases. It is also an important part of any country's ability to deal with epidemics. According to the report, the severe shortage of oxygen during the Corona epidemic shook the whole world, causing the death of millions of people.

Which countries have the biggest crisis?

According to the report, 82% of the population in need of medical oxygen across the world lives in low and middle-income countries. About 70% of these people are concentrated in South Asia, East Asia, the Pacific region and Sub-Saharan Africa. In Sub-Saharan Africa, 91% of patients are unable to get medical oxygen. In South Asia, this figure is 78%. At the global level, 70% of patients in need are unable to get oxygen.

Medical oxygen crisis in India

According to the report, India witnessed a huge shortage of medical oxygen, especially during the corona pandemic. According to the report of Indian health organization One Health Trust, the pandemic not only caused a crisis due to the severity of the infection, but also a huge shortage of life-saving resources, especially medical oxygen. During Corona, hospitals were mainly dependent on third-party vendors, but the sudden increase in demand led to problems like black marketing and hoarding. People's pleas for oxygen cylinders on social media and the court even had to order the government to ensure oxygen supply.