We are living in an era that every breath counts due to Covid-19 pandemic that had hit countries world-wide. This reminds me of my childhood where we used to joke that “we even need to pay for oxygen in the future”. The statistic shows nineteen countries around the world including Argentina, India, Iran, Nepal, Malaysia, Philippines, Pakistan, Costa Rica, South Africa and many others are experiencing shortage in Oxygen Concentrators. The demands are getting higher and higher every day.
We are experiencing a wake-up call for our own country Malaysia as the cases are deemed high since May 2021. As a Nation, we are in war and in a dilemma between saving lives and balancing the country economy where the livelihood of people is at stake. Companies are suffering and Government leaders are challenged to use their wisdom to stimulate the economy and provide grants to sustain businesses.
Mr Robert Matiru, who chairs the Covid-19 Oxygen Emergency Taskforce, told the bureau “We could see the total collapse of health systems, especially in countries with very fragile systems. Statistics have shown that The World Bank allocated USD160bn for countries to use the fund to import oxygen. The Global Fund came out with USD3.7bn in grants for Covid-19 response programmes, including to buy Oxygen concentrators and build public oxygen plants.
In the recent weeks, we have witnessed many individuals, companies and NGO’S rushing to obtain oxygen concentrators to save lives in India that is battling the second wave of Covid-19. We see manufacturers are working around the clock to meet the demands and at the same time do not compromise with the quality of the products.
What is an oxygen concentrator? It is a device that generates oxygen with a purity of 92± 3% by drawing in ambient air and filtering out all other gases. Today, many people are living with different illnesses such as heart, lung and other respiratory diseases that rely on such devices to lead normal lives.
What do we look for in a good oxygen concentrator? There are different features and benefits of the different oxygen concentrators in the market. Outlined are some of the important points to look for when buying such devices:
- The ability to run continuous operation or usage / non-stop 24/7
- Preferably with oxygen concentration monitor / indicator
- Flow at which oxygen is delivered to the patient
- Size, weight and portability of the oxygen concentrator
- Oxygen concentration should be 87% to 99%
- Noise generated while in operation should ideally not much higher than 55db or lower
- Other features such as wheel locking system, air filtering system, availability of accessories and spare parts
- After sales service support from reputable vendors
The world-wide battle for Oxygen Concentrators due to Covid-19 will be prolonged but the urgency will be less as manufacturers produce more in time. People playing their roles in personal hygiene, social distancing, wearing masks and continuous vaccination will help to control the pandemic.
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