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    • Global Health

    Opinion: Ensuring oxygen access is essential to achieving health for all

    Less than 1 in 3 people who need medical oxygen receive it. This access gap causes millions of avoidable deaths yearly. Here’s why oxygen is a “best buy” for global health outcomes.

    By Dr. Philippe Duneton, Nikolaj Gilbert, Ryo Nakamura // 05 May 2025

    Increased investments in medical oxygen and continued private-public partnerships are vital to creating a more resilient global health system. This will mean the world is better prepared for future pandemics and capable of providing universal access to oxygen, saving millions of lives.

    During the COVID-19 pandemic, medical oxygen received extensive attention — both its vital importance and the gaps in accessing it. Global health donors responded by mobilizing $1 billion to strengthen oxygen supplies in over 120 countries. In 2023, at the World Health Assembly, all 194 member states unanimously adopted a resolution to increase access to oxygen.

    Last year, the first investment case for oxygen financing commissioned by the Global Oxygen Alliance, or GO₂AL, launched in Berlin during the World Health Summit. And earlier this year, a landmark report released by The Lancet Global Health Commission on medical oxygen security revealed the first-ever estimates of oxygen coverage gaps globally and the total cost of closing them.  

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    More reading:

    ► Blended finance expands medical oxygen production in East Africa

    ► A Kenyan doctor’s $20M mission to make sure every child has oxygen

    ► Opinion: WHO oxygen resolution is an opportunity for medical gas sector

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    Printing articles to share with others is a breach of our terms and conditions and copyright policy. Please use the sharing options on the left side of the article. Devex Pro members may share up to 10 articles per month using the Pro share tool ( ).
    The views in this opinion piece do not necessarily reflect Devex's editorial views.

    About the authors

    • Dr. Philippe Duneton

      Dr. Philippe Duneton

      Dr. Philippe Duneton has more than 25 years’ experience in the fields of HIV/AIDS, infectious and tropical diseases and public health. As Unitaid’s executive director, he has led the organization’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, playing a vital role as the co-lead of the therapeutics arm of the Access to COVID Tools Accelerator. Previously, he was a practicing doctor at La Pitié Salpêtrière Hospital in Paris (infections diseases department) and was twice adviser to the French Ministry of Health under Minister Bernard Kouchner.
    • Nikolaj Gilbert

      Nikolaj Gilbert

      Nikolaj Gilbert is the president and CEO of PATH, an international nonprofit focused on advancing health equity through innovation and partnerships. He brings over 25 years of experience across the private sector, nonprofits, and multilateral organizations. Before joining PATH in 2020, Nikolaj served as director of partnerships for the United Nations Office for Project Services and held leadership roles at Novo Nordisk.
    • Ryo Nakamura

      Ryo Nakamura

      Ryo Nakamura is ambassador, assistant minister/director-general for global issues at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan. His career at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs includes positions such as director-general of Southeast and Southwest Asian Affairs Department and minister at the embassies in Indonesia and Germany.

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