Lack of medical oxygen affects millions

Associate Professor Stephen Howie from the University's Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences (FMHS) was an adviser to the Lancet Global Health Commission on Medical Oxygen Security and co-author of its report Reducing global inequities in medical oxygen access released 18 February.

A key finding shows global access to medical oxygen is highly inequitable. Five billion people, mostly from low and middle-income countries don't have access to safe, quality, affordable medical oxygen.

Associate Professor Howie, child health researcher and a specialist paediatrician says he hopes further lives will be saved because of this work, and that children and adults will not only survive but thrive.

The Auckland University team are leading the field to improve access to medical oxygen. Howie recently gave a plenary address at the World Lung Health Conference in Bali, spelling out the challenges and opportunities to tackle the global issue.

"I have been working in the area of oxygen treatment for oxygen-starved (hypoxic) illnesses for two decades, particularly in Africa and the Pacific. My first priority was children (naturally, as a paediatrician) but we learnt soon enough that solving the problem has to involve catering for all ages.

"It is such an obvious need. I saw it at the hospitals I worked at in Africa where needless death from diseases like pneumonia happened because oxygen supplies were short, and this hit families and staff very hard. It was at that time that we made it our goal that 'no child should die for lack of oxygen' and this applies to adults too."

Fiji was particularly hard hit when the first waves of the COVID-19 pandemic arrived, at one point it had the highest rate of COVID-19 in the world. A close partnership between the Fiji Ministry of Health, the University of Auckland, Cure Kids and Fiji National University, funded by New Zealand MFAT and other donors, played an important role in supporting the pandemic response says Howie.