Oxygen-as-a-Service pilot soundbites
What our pilot partners are hoping to learn in this next phase
As we begin a new phase of the Oxygen CoLab, our Oxygen-as-a-Service pilot partners are embarking on the next stage of their ambitious journeys to bring oxygen to those who need it most. It looks slightly different for every project and in the different areas that they are based, so read on to hear about their individual goals.
To get a sense of the portfolio as a whole, read this blog about our oxygen concentrator hypothesis or read learnings from their work last year here.
Access Oxygen in Kenya
Access Oxygen are a consortium made up of CPHD, Mediquip and Air Liquide. They are testing the use of oxygen concentrators in 12 urban healthcare settings in Nairobi in a mix of private, public and faith-based facilities. They are providing biomedical support, clinical and technical training reinforced using Access Oxygen’s online training programme.
In the next phase Access O2 are keen to better understand the financial model for oxygen-as-a-service with the aim of ensuring that oxygen therapy remains accessible and beneficial where it is needed. Access O2 in Kenya will be testing iterations to their service offer such as providing longer-term in-house biomedical support to facilities and access to continuous training.
They are exploring different payment models with healthcare facilities to better understand how to account for the high capital cost of the model — the package per facility features a concentrator, 3.4m3 Cylinder, pulse oximeter, and patient cannulas, with a total cost of GBP1200 per facility, exclusive of spare parts. They believe that they can do this by taking advantage of the low operational cost which is a fraction of the cost if the concentrator is well maintained. The other challenge is finding a payment model which suits healthcare facilities. Most are used to paying for oxygen based on their utilisation of the oxygen product and services as opposed to a fixed subscription fee which would smooth out the cost of O2aaS over time.
ICChange in Uganda
ICChange are testing the use of two of LeanMed’s 10 LPM O2 cubes in a fixed off-site location acting as a micro-PSA in Rukungiri, Uganda. They will supply a mix of nearby health care facilities, (public, private and faith-based), with filled cylinders using the hub and spoke model. They are combining the sales of cylinders with clinical training and in-house maintenance.
ICChange’s main goal is to understand the market and demand for cylinder distribution in Rukungiri as a localised sustainable means of oxygen distribution. As they wait for the O2 Cube to arrive in-country, they are conducting an oxygen kick-start experiment, where they are selling filled cylinders from Kampala, the capital of Uganda, to understand the market demand for cylinders, willingness to pay and perceptions around cylinder oxygen from local decision makers.
Healthport in Nigeria
HealthPort are testing the use of LeanMed’s 10 LPM O2 cube in a fixed off-site location in Ogun county, supplying 6 healthcare facilities, a mix of public and private, with cylinders using a hub and spoke model. They are combining the sales of cylinders with clinical training and in-house maintenance. In addition, they are testing the use of LeanMed’s 10 LPM O2 cube as a micro-PSA plant which will supply the whole facility’s oxygen needs in multiple wards in Lagos.
Healthport is hoping to learn how to create operational efficiency across their whole system using data analytics and shift the culture within health facilities around oxygen delivery to become more evidence-based. This includes testing their clinical training alongside oxygen provision in order to improve the diagnosing and administering of oxygen therapy. They also want to better understand the financial model for delivering O2aaS including optimal cash flow requirements and revenue.
Sanrai in India
Sanrai are testing the use of concentrators in public health care facilities in two districts. Having begun implementation in community health centres in Uttar Pradesh they will soon start to implement in urban primary health centres in West Bengal. They are delivering comprehensive clinical training with a routine maintenance service package alongside high quality oxygen concentrators and innovative respiratory diagnostic tools.
Sanrai are also keen to learn more around their operational model. As they deliver O2aaS consistently over time, they’ll be monitoring data and validating the appropriate levels of training and maintenance over 6 months. They will also be exploring different payment models through government procurement systems using the evidence gathered through implementation on different pricing models.
FREO2 in Tanzania
FREO2 are testing the use of concentrators in 17 public and faith-based healthcare facilities in rural Tanzania and 1 public facility on Mafia Island. They are providing a FRE02 oxylink concentrator, clinical training, virtual support and ‘swap and go’ maintenance support. Their aim is to close the supply gap of 13,547 Litres Per Minute (LPM) in Tanzania.
FREO2 will be focusing on how to secure sustainability of O2aaS in Tanzania, considering operational factors like local capacity building, infrastructure requirements, and long-term supply chain management and testing new revenue models such as exploring private-public partnership model with the government. The will also continue their work on advocating for oxygen at a national level, hoping to see changed in national and sub-national budget allocation to oxygen, an increase of personnel/ biomedical technician and engineers recruitment, and greater resource put to supporting ongoing efforts in medical oxygen space including the implementation of existing national plans and strategies.
Follow our journey as we continue to work and learn together:
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On LinkedIn you can find us on: https://www.linkedin.com/company/better-futures-colab/ Or email us at oxygen@makingbetterfutures.org
