Low adoption of piped oxygen infrastructure in health facilities in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) may be related to countries’ reliance on predominant, globally recognized standards.

Many of these standards were not created with the operational limitations of those countries in mind, such as supplies, access to labor, and financial resources. National medical gas pipeline standards can be ambiguous or nonexistent in LMIC.

PATH and Build Health International (BHI) investigated five innovative technical options spanning facility design, material, and component sourcing, and installation that could help alleviate barriers to install piping.

The goal of this investigation is to prompt global discussion on increased adoption of high-quality medical gas pipeline systems, and address the unmet need for sustainable and uninterrupted lifesaving oxygen in LMIC.