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Nigeria’s Oxygen Crisis in Public Hospitals.
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Oxygen therapy remains expensive, pushing families to delay care.
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Poor maintenance and weak policies are worsening Nigeria’s oxygen crisis.
Many public hospitals in Nigeria are battling to save lives without one of the most basic medical supplies oxygen. Across several states, oxygen remains scarce, equipment is often broken, and many patients who could have survived are dying needlessly.
In Lagos, a recent survey across 58 health facilities revealed that while 60% had a working oxygen source, only 14 percent had functional pulse oximeters to monitor patients who urgently need oxygen. Even where equipment is available, it is often limited to specific wards like theatres or maternity units, leaving many emergency cases without support.
The cost of oxygen therapy in Nigeria also makes access difficult. At primary healthcare centres, two days of oxygen treatment cost about ₦13,000, but in private hospitals, the price can rise to ₦27,500. For many Nigerians who pay for healthcare directly from their pockets, these costs are simply out of reach.
Children remain the most vulnerable victims of this oxygen crisis. Pneumonia, one of the leading killers of children under five in Nigeria, often requires immediate oxygen support. Without it, survival chances drop drastically. Experts say that if oxygen is available and used properly, pneumonia deaths can be cut by half. Sadly, for many children in Nigeria’s public hospitals, oxygen remains a luxury.
Staffing shortages are adding to the problem. Nigeria has about 0.38 doctors and 1.7 nurses for every 1,000 people, far below the World Health Organisation’s minimum standard. The Nigeria Medical Association reports that there is roughly one doctor for every 10,000 Nigerians, creating pressure on the few available professionals who must work without the necessary tools.
Many hospitals also lack the trained technicians needed to repair and maintain medical equipment. In Kano State, an assessment in 2021 revealed that 114 oxygen devices across public health facilities were broken. By the end of that year, only 10 had been repaired. In Lagos, just nine percent of health centres had biomedical technicians, and only five percent followed regular equipment maintenance schedules.
There is also a failure in policy enforcement. Although ECOWAS introduced duty-free allowances on essential medical equipment years ago, Nigeria has not fully implemented this, making it expensive to import oxygen-related devices.
Dr. Pamela Ajayi, the CEO of the Healthcare Federation of Nigeria, told reporters that Nigeria’s oxygen problem can be solved if the government fully removes import duties and creates a reliable financing system. “If we can properly finance oxygen supply and implement the zero-duty policy on life-saving equipment, we can make oxygen more available and affordable for everyone,” she said.
However, some improvements have been recorded. In Kano, the state government introduced an “Oxygen Week” programme where oxygen machines are regularly repaired, and 70 biomedical technicians have been trained. This effort has increased oxygen supply significantly. A similar system upgrade in 12 secondary hospitals in Southwest Nigeria showed that oxygen availability and pulse oximeter use improved in paediatric wards.
The federal government, alongside global partners like the World Bank and FHI 360, is working to improve oxygen supply through the Basic Health Care Provision Fund. New oxygen plants have been built in at least 30 locations across the country, but power supply problems and poor maintenance still limit their impact.
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