The World Health Organization Liberia Country Office recently donated 21 Oxygen Concentrators to the Ministry of Health to support the government in the management of confirmed COVID-19 cases.
Statistics generated by Liberia’s Service Availability and Readiness Assessment (SARA+) and Quality of Care (QoC) in 2018 showed that only 58% of the country’s hospitals had oxygen. This situation was further exacerbated by the health challenges posed by COVID-19 on an already fragile healthcare system following a devastating Ebola Virus Disease outbreak (2014-2016).
Oxygen concentrators are of extreme importance in respiratory infectious disease management. The concentrators deliver pure, high quality oxygen with the appropriate concentration vital for the treatment of moderate-to-severe COVID-19 patients with subnormal blood oxygen levels.
By donating oxygen concentrators, WHO seeks to contribute to Liberia’s COVID-19 response and mitigate its impact on the health system.
On the occasion of the donation, Liberian government officials lauded WHO’s assistance especially in this time of severe crisis. They pledged to distribute the equipment to all 15 counties to boost the national fight against COVID-19.
