In a major move to strengthen Pakistan’s public health infrastructure, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), in partnership with the Government of Pakistan and the Global Fund, is spearheading a project to procure and install 36 oxygen generation plants in public hospitals across the country. The effort, running from March 2022 through December 2025, is backed by a total budget of $52 million.
The project will be rolled out across all four provinces, Balochistan, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab and Sindh, as part of a strategic push to close critical gaps in medical oxygen supply, a vulnerability that was starkly revealed during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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At its core, the initiative focuses on delivering physically installed and fully operational oxygen generators. But according to UNDP, the blueprint goes much further. It includes training of healthcare and technical staff in maintenance, commissioning of systems under third-party oversight to meet safety standards, and a structured transfer to local hospital management to ensure long-term sustainability.
To future-proof the system, the program also incorporates upgrades to related infrastructure. These include integrating solar-powered HVAC systems for climate control in health facilities, modern warehouse racking for safer medicine and vaccine storage, and enhancements to medical logistics systems.
The embedding of renewable energy and resilient storage solutions is intended to reduce dependency on external supply chains and improve service continuity in the face of environmental or logistical challenges.
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UNDP expects that, once complete, the project will significantly reinforce Pakistan’s capacity to respond to respiratory emergencies and critical care demands. Hospitals will gain reliable access to medical-grade oxygen, and staff in both hospitals and central maintenance units will acquire the technical know-how to run, service and sustain the new systems independently.
The improvements in logistics, storage and energy resilience are also projected to reduce wastage and ensure better handling of essential medicines and vaccines.
This project aligns with UNDP’s broader goals of fostering inclusive, climate-responsive and accountable health service delivery across Pakistan.
By embedding renewable energy and infrastructure upgrades into the health sector, UNDP and its partners aim not only to solve immediate oxygen shortfalls but also to build a stronger and more resilient healthcare system for the future.
