Ghanaian hospitals, marking a shift in the country’s medical oxygen supply chain from cylinder-based distribution to a storage-based system designed to reduce shortages and improve
The report indicates that ghanaian hospitals, marking a shift in the country’s medical oxygen supply chain from cylinder-based distribution to a storage-based system designed to reduce shortages and improve reliability.
It further notes that the company delivered the first made-in-Ghana liquid oxygen supply to the Lekma Hospital, where a cryogenic storage system has been installed to receive, store and distribute the product through the facility’s oxygen network.
Managing Director of Indo-Ghana Industries, Varun Tyagi, stated the move addresses long-standing challenges associated with transporting medical oxygen in cylinders, including delays, high logistics costs and supply interruptions.
“Over the years, one of the biggest challenges when it comes to distribution of oxygen is that the packaging material, the cylinders, are much more expensive than the product itself. In Africa, distribution costs are too high,” he said.
Indo-Ghana, which began operations in Ghana in 2010, initially focused on the production and supply of gaseous oxygen. The company expanded into liquid oxygen production after identifying distribution constraints that became more visible during the COVID-19 pandemic, when demand for medical oxygen increased sharply.
According to Mr. Tyagi, the cylinder-based model required hospitals to continuously request refills as empty cylinders were returned for replenishment, creating risks of delays caused by transportation challenges and road conditions.
Liquid oxygen changes the supply model by increasing storage capacity. The company stated a single storage tank can hold the equivalent of about 1,000 cylinders of gaseous oxygen, allowing hospitals to maintain larger reserves and reduce frequent deliveries.
“At Lekma, the quantity of liquid that we supplied can sustain them for a period of at least three months. They can now be assured that for the next three months they have oxygen available in their facility,” Mr. Tyagi said.
The transition has been supported by investments that have enabled hospitals to receive and store liquid oxygen. Mr. Tyagi stated the initial challenge was not only producing liquid oxygen locally but ensuring healthcare facilities had the infrastructure to accept it.
He stated support from development partners, including USAID, CHAI and JHPEIGO has helped provide liquid oxygen storage tanks to about 10 hospitals, while another five facilities received similar support through other programmes, bringing the total number of hospitals equipped to receive liquid oxygen to about 15.
Lekma’s Head of Clinical Engineering, Saviour Demordzie, stated the new system has already improved oxygen availability at the facility by providing a more stable supply and reducing reliance on emergency cylinder deliveries.
“Our frequent calls for oxygen have reduced. There is a constant pressure and flow of oxygen at the facility. And because it is a liquid oxygen plant, we have a higher purity of oxygen delivered to the patient,” he said.
Before the installation of the liquid oxygen system, Mr. Demordzie stated the hospital relied largely on oxygen cylinders, creating uncertainty when supplies ran low.
“Initially, you had to call vendors when the oxygen was finishing, and if you were not fortunate, the unfortunate could happen,” he said.
