PATH, in collaboration with the Senegal Ministry of Health, conducted a biomedical equipment survey in health facilities from November 2023 to December 2023.

This report analyzes and presents data collected during facility assessments of 114 health facilities in 14 provinces across Senegal, by service ward, to provide a snapshot of the country’s medical oxygen ecosystem.

The purpose of this work is to quantify existing oxygen delivery and production equipment, consumables for administering oxygen therapy, and bed capacity, and to understand facility infrastructure characteristics. The survey included a mix of public and private health facilities at multiple levels—including health posts, two levels of health centers, and three levels of public health hospitals.

The results demonstrated that the availability of oxygen services and respiratory care equipment is highly variable across health facilities in Senegal. For example, 26 percent of facilities lack any pulse oximeters. Of the facilities surveyed, 44 (42 percent) reported possessing an on-site pressure swing adsorption plant for continuous, reliable oxygen delivery to patients.

Most facilities that provide services with high demand for oxygen (e.g., maternity, surgical, and intensive care units) also possess oxygen concentrators. By contrast, cylinder use was not widely reported with few facilities keeping large stocks of cylinders to provide reliable supply.

The available quantity of small equipment and delivery devices such as flowmeters and cannulas also varies considerably, which can limit the accessibility of available oxygen supply to patients.