In a landmark step for healthcare in Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Lao PDR), the country’s second provincial medical oxygen plant opened today in Savannakhet Provincial Hospital. The plant was supported by the World Health Organization (WHO) and will provide the province the capacity to produce oxygen for the first time. Two similar units are being installed in Oudomxay and Luang Prabang provincial hospitals and will be up and running in the coming months.
The three containerized oxygen plants are part of a 33.5 billion Lao Kip (US$ 1.7 million) donation from WHO, which will provide enough oxygen to assist tens of thousands of patients each year. The first plant in the country was opened in February 2023 in Champasack Provincial Hospital with support from the Global Fund and Clinton Health Assistance Initiative (CHAI).
This WHO donation sees the three provincial hospitals provided the capacity to produce their own oxygen for the first time – up to 75 000 cylinders per year. These will provide life-saving support during surgery, for maternal and childcare, and for patients with heart failure, asthma or pneumonia.
Medical oxygen is a life-saving treatment for many diseases, including COVID-19. In Lao PDR, oxygen production infrastructure is limited and there is reliance on liquid oxygen imports from neighbouring countries like Viet Nam or Thailand. Public health emergencies, like the COVID-19 pandemic, can put supplies at risk when demand increases.
During a visit of the Savannakhet plant, Vice Minister of Health HE Dr Snong Thongsna thanked WHO, noting: “This important donation will save lives, make the three provincial hospitals self-sufficient and will also have the additional capacity to serve nearby district hospitals. Not only will this provide life-saving support for patients now, but ensure our health system is better prepared for future public health emergencies when extra oxygen is required.”
Along with the oxygen production and refilling systems, support included construction of facilities, backup power generators, three years’ worth of spare parts, 200 cylinders for each site, and training for technicians at each location.
“Oxygen is crucial when treating patients who require critical care including for COVID-19, respiratory illnesses, surgery and trauma,” said WHO Representative Dr Ying-Ru Jacqueline Lo. “This donation will ensure more people in Lao PDR, particularly vulnerable groups like the elderly, pregnant women and newborns, return to their loved ones, and is a commendable step towards improving the healthcare systems of Lao PDR. It also provided an opportunity to improve electrical and other related infrastructure and engineering capacity for hospitals.”
Oxygen supply has been one of WHO’s key priorities for support for Lao PDR during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, working in close coordination with partners. This includes providing medical oxygen equipment and oxygen itself, training for healthcare workers, and technical assistance, as part of longer-term efforts to improve healthcare services and build a resilient and sustainable health system.
