How prepared is Mozambique to treat COVID-19 patients? A new approach for estimating oxygen service availability, oxygen treatment capacity, and population access to oxygen-ready treatment facilities.
Int J Equity Health
; 20(1): 90, 2021 04 06.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1169964
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
This study aims to assess the COVID-19 response preparedness of the Mozambican health system by 1) determining the location of oxygen-ready public health facilities, 2) estimating the oxygen treatment capacity, and 3) determining the population coverage of oxygen-ready health facilities in Mozambique.METHODS:
This analysis utilizes information on the availability of oxygen sources and delivery apparatuses to determine if a health facility is ready to deliver oxygen therapy to patients in need, and estimates how many patients can be treated with continuous oxygen flow for a 7-day period based on the available oxygen equipment at health facilities. Using GIS mapping software, the study team modeled varying travel times to oxygen-ready facilities to estimate the proportion of the population with access to care.RESULTS:
0.4% of all health facilities in Mozambique are prepared to deliver oxygen therapy to patients, for a cumulative total of 283.9 to 406.0 patients-weeks given the existing national capacity, under varying assumptions including ability to divert oxygen from a single source to multiple patients. 35% of the population in Mozambique has adequate access within one-hour driving time of an oxygen-ready health facility. This varies widely by region; 89.1% of the population of Maputo City was captured by the one-hour driving time network, as compared ot 4.4% of the population of Niassa province.CONCLUSIONS:
The Mozambican health system faces the dual challenges of under-resourced health facilities and low geographic accessibility to healthcare as it prepares to confront the COVID-19 pandemic. This analysis also illustrates the disparity between provinces in preparedness to deliver oxygen therapy to patient, with Cabo Delgado and Nampula being particularly under-resourced.Keywords
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Oxygen Inhalation Therapy
/
SARS-CoV-2
/
COVID-19
/
Health Facilities
/
Health Services Accessibility
Type of study:
Observational study
Limits:
Female
/
Humans
Country/Region as subject:
Africa
Language:
English
Journal:
Int J Equity Health
Year:
2021
Document Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
S12939-021-01403-8
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