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18 min ago 2 min read
Industrial gas major Air Liquide’s Access Oxygen initiative is being deployed in eight healthcare centres operated by Madagascar-based non-profit Ekar Santé’s centres in the Antsirabe region, south of Antananarivo, serving a population of 215,000.
The access oxygen programme will provide medical oxygen, training for healthcare staff, and critical equipment, such as oxygen cylinders, concentrators, pulse oximeters, and regulators.
The programme has been deployed in Senegal, Kenya, Mali, and South Africa. For the first time, access oxygen will integrate photovoltaic panels and batteries to support a constant power supply to the healthcare centres.
In partnership with Air Liquide, Madagascar-based medical supply company Hospiteq will distribute, maintain, and monitor the medical devices.
The medical oxygen provided by access oxygen at Ekar Santé’s healthcare centres will stabilise patients suffering from respiratory issues before they are transferred to hospitals for long-term care.
Diana Schillag, Executive Committee Member, overseeing Sustainability at Air Liquide, said, “Since its launch in 2017, [the access oxygen programme] has already covered areas with a total population of more than 3.4 million people.”
Air Liquide secured a four-year homecare contract in Spain’s Valencia region that will see it provide more than 90,000 respiratory patients with care supported by predictive AI monitoring.
