Business Models in Respiratory Care

Despite the critical role that medical oxygen plays in the treatment for numerous disease areas, many health facilities still lack access to this lifesaving treatment. This situation is often attributed to the cost of oxygen and related infrastructure; in reality, oxygen access barriers are complex and rarely linked to a single factor. Understanding the prevailing business models for oxygen production, storage, distribution, and delivery can provide important context as to how and why oxygen provision is limited in many countries. Scaling up oxygen globally will require significant shifts in many of the current business models prevalent in low- and middle-income countries.

COVID-19 has cast a spotlight on oxygen, a health area that has long been neglected by the global community. With this attention, it is critical that decision-makers and implementers understand the complexities of the oxygen ecosystem, the various business models that comprise it, and how they impact patient access. This brief introduces the oxygen ecosystem that business models operate within and then outlines four types of business models: bulk supply agreements, cash-and-carry filling stations, direct equipment purchases, and equipment leasing.

Corporate author(s): PATH; CHAI

Publication date: October 2021

Available materials

  1. English

    1. Business Models in Respiratory Care 640.7 KB PDF

  2. French

    1. Modèles économiques des soins respiratoires 767 KB PDF