Govt to include oxygen in essential drug list 

Bangladesh is set to include medical oxygen in the country's essential drugs list, Dr Md Sayedur Rahman, special assistant to the chief adviser for the health ministry, announced today (7 October).

"There is still a gap in oxygen access, but the government is actively addressing it," he said at Bangladesh's first Oxygen Summit held at a Dhaka hotel.

"Currently, 29 PSA plants are functional, while 70 remain non-functional or underutilised," he said at the event organised by icddr,b, Lancet Global Health, Every Breath Counts, and Unitaid.

He said the government is working to establish a National Oxygen Network and to declare oxygen an essential medicine, noting that "achieving self-sufficiency in medical oxygen is closely linked to national security."

Sayedur said oxygen prices currently vary widely across hospitals. "Declaring it an essential drug will help regulate both supply and pricing… Oxygen should be accessible from each upazila hospital to specialised hospitals," he added.

The essential drug list is a government-endorsed compilation of medications deemed critical for public health. The current list has 285 essential medicines. Of these, the government sets prices of 117 widely used medicines.

The summit, organised under the theme "National Roadmap to Safe, Affordable and Reliable Medical Oxygen for All", brought together policymakers, scientists, academicians, development partners, private sector representatives, and government officials to chart a collective plan for universal oxygen access.

Dr Shams El Arifeen, senior scientist (emeritus) at icddr,b and co-chair of The Lancet Global Health Commission on Medical Oxygen Security, said around 70% of people in low- and middle-income countries don't receive the oxygen therapy they need. In South Asia, the gap is about 78%," he said.

He explained four major gaps behind the shortage: service contact gap, service readiness gap. service provision gap, and quality gap.

Dr Ahmed Ehsanur Rahman, scientist at icddr,b and lead author of the Lancet Global Health Commission on Medical Oxygen Security, stressed oxygen's critical importance. 

"A person can survive for three weeks without food and three days without water, but not more than three minutes without oxygen," he said, adding that oxygen is essential for patients with acute medical conditions, surgical needs, and chronic illnesses.

Globally, annual medical oxygen demand is estimated at 373.6 million cylinders, with the Covid-19 pandemic raising demand by an additional 52 million. 

Each year, roughly 105.4 million cylinders are required for acute medical needs, 259 million for surgical procedures, and 9.2 million for long-term conditions.

Dr Tahmeed Ahmed, executive director of icddr,b and chair of the session, said "Good governance can mean the difference between life and death. Continued investment in research and innovation will be essential to develop cost-effective solutions and evidence-based policies to sustain progress."

Professor Dr Abu Jafar, director general of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), added that "oxygen is not just a commodity; it is a public service." 

He praised icddr,b scientists for generating research evidence that has informed both national and global health policies.