In a major step to strengthening Pakistan’s Public Health Infrastructure, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) is partnership with the government of Pakistan and Global Fund at the head of a project to purchase and install 36 oxygen generation plants in public hospitals throughout the country. The effort, which runs from March 2022 to December 2025, is supported by a total budget of $ 52 million.
The project will be rolled out over 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 revealed during the Covid-19 pandemi.
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At the core, the initiative focuses on providing physically installed and fully operational oxygen generators. But according to UNDP, the plan goes much longer. It includes training of healthcare and technical staff in maintenance, commissioning of systems under third -party supervision to meet security standards and a structured transfer to local hospital management to ensure long -term sustainability.
For the future -proof system, the program also includes upgrades to related infrastructure. These include the integration of solar-powered HVAC systems for climate control in health facilities, modern warehouse uptake for safer medicine and vaccine storage and improvements to medical logistics systems.
The built -in of renewable energy and elastic storage solutions is intended to reduce the dependence on external supply chains and improve service continuity in light of environmental or logistical challenges.
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The UNDP expects the project, when completed, will reinforce Pakistan’s capacity to respond to the airways and critical care needs significantly. Hospitals will have reliable access to medical quality oxygen, and staff at both hospitals and central maintenance units will acquire the technical know-how to run, service and maintain the new systems independently.
The improvements in logistics, storage and energy resilience are also expected to reduce waste and ensure better handling of essential medicines and vaccines.
This project is in accordance with UNDP’s broader goal of promoting inclusive, climate-response and responsible delivery of the health service in Pakistan.
By integrating renewable energy and infrastructure upgrades to the health sector, UNDP and its partners aim not only to solve immediate oxygen deficit, but also to build a stronger and more elastic health system for the future.
