Saving young lives with oxygen

In 2009, I stayed overnight at Kamuzu Central Hospital's pediatric ward with my nephew, who was suffering from pneumonia. The ward was overcrowded, with at least three children sharing each bed, most of whom had breathing difficulties and required oxygen. Unfortunately, there was only one oxygen cylinder available, so it was reserved for only the most severe cases. Tragically, the first two children who received oxygen that night did not survive. When the nurses attempted to give oxygen to other babies, their mothers refused, believing that it would cause their children to die. As a result, two more children died before dawn.

Fast forward to 2023, and I returned to the ward with Dr. Noel Lozani, who has been working at the hospital for years. He took me to Pneumonia Bay, where we had been admitted years earlier, and I immediately noticed that each bed had access to oxygen through oxygen outlets, making it easily accessible. Dr. Lozani explained that this improvement has made administering life-saving oxygen easy, quick, and convenient, resulting in more positive outcomes for sick babies. Unlike the large oxygen cylinders and concentrators that needed to be moved from one patient to another, the current oxygen therapy devices are small and unobtrusive, ensuring that every patient in need of oxygen can get it instantly. This improvement has significantly improved patient outcomes, and guardians no longer associate oxygen therapy with death. Instead, they understand that oxygen is an essential part of treatment to improve breathing.

Dr. Lozani regularly checks on the children's temperature, blood pressure, and oxygen levels in Pneumonia Bay. He stopped at the bed of seven-month-old baby Liz, whom he had admitted the previous day. Baby Liz was referred to KCH from Mitundu Rural Hospital because she was having difficulty breathing, and her oxygen levels were very low. After administering medications and oxygen therapy using nasal prongs, her breathing improved within a few hours. Dr. Lozani then recommended removing her from oxygen treatment. On average, the pneumonia bay treats 30 children using this piped oxygen.

Charles Kapalamula, the Senior Biomedical Engineer at KCH, explained that they collaborated with UNICEF to pipe the pediatric ward and bring oxygen directly from the oxygen production site (PSA Plant) to the patients. The oxygen plant has the capacity to produce 800 liters of oxygen per minute. Before piping the pediatric ward, only20 per cent of the plant's capacity was utilized. However, proper usage has now doubled usage to 40 per cent.

The oxygen is produced at the oxygen manufacturing plant, which was built with the support of UNICEF and UK Aid at the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Although COVID-19 cases have decreased, the focus has shifted to improving oxygen access in all wards that need it. So far, 60 per cent of the hospital has direct access to oxygen, while the other 40 per cent wait for support from partners.

Providing bedside medical oxygen is a prime example of strengthening the humanitarian development nexus as it goes beyond treating COVID-19 patients to treating children for pneumonia and birth asphyxia, which remain leading causes of death among children under five years old.