November 07, 2022
The OHT report, ‘Blueprint for a National Medical Oxygen Grid in India’ was launched by the One Health Trust in Bengaluru on October 19th, in partnership with PricewaterhouseCoopers, and with the support of USAID-RISE, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and the Swasth Alliance.
The report, launched in the presence of Karnataka Health Commissioner Mr. D Randeep, heralds the advent of self-reliance in the supply of medical oxygen throughout the country and outlines an intersectoral effort to develop a national oxygen grid, which can ensure the timely availability of medical oxygen to prevent deaths due to lack of access to oxygen. The blueprint presents a comprehensive assessment of the current and future medical oxygen needs of India and the design and implementation of a nationwide oxygen grid.
OHT founder and president Dr. Ramanan Laxminarayan, Karnataka Health Commissioner Mr. D Randeep, and senior health scientist Dr. Nachiket Mor with the newly-launched report.
The event included a detailed presentation of the report findings by experts from PricewaterhouseCoopers, Dr. Rana Mehta, and Dr. Ashwani Aggarwal. The presentation was followed by speeches by Karnataka Health Commissioner, Mr. D Randeep, and member of the One Health Trust India advisory board, Dr. Nachiket Mor.
In his speech, Mr. Randeep highlighted important points discussed in OHT’s report, including the need to optimize the utilization of government schemes and medical infrastructure that are already present in order to increase the scope of the government’s involvement in medical issues. He also emphasized the need for richer and more frequent communication between the industry, research organizations, and the government so that all stakeholders can work together to achieve public health goals in the state and beyond.
Members participating in the panel discussion, from left to right: Dr. Shyamashree Das from BMGF, Karnataka Health Commissioner Mr. D Randeep, Swasth Alliance CEO Dr. Ajay Nair, Mr. Vijay Paulraj from USAID, and Dr. Parvez Memon from JHPIEGO.
The event concluded with a lively panel discussion with participation from members representing various organizations involved in relevant areas of public health research and implementation in India. The panel covered ways to improve oxygen management in the country, operational challenges and barriers to building a robust national oxygen grid, and measures necessary to garner stakeholder support to make the grid successful.
Apart from members of the media and the public, the event was also attended by members of several organizations working on public health issues including PATH, CHAI, p4i, JHPIEGO, and USAID-RISE, in addition to independent researchers.
To find out more about the Blueprint for the National Medical Oxygen Grid for India and OHT’s work to strengthen health systems in India and around the world, click here.
