The COVID-19 pandemic is raging in India with more than 27.5 million coronavirus cases and nearly 318,925 deaths and thousands dying for the sheer lack of medical oxygen. The supply of which is available, but for which transportation and distribution is the main challenge. There are currently a few organized non-profit operations to get medical oxygen to hospitals and patients at home. In response, Dr. Ramanan Laxminarayan, Founder and Director of the Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics & Policy (CDDEP), put out a call to his network, and OxygenForIndia was born on April 25th, 2021.

1. With 40,000 reusable oxygen cylinders and 20,000 concentrators, we hope to serve as many people as we can, as quickly as possible across rural and urban areas in India.

2. We are solving for last-mile delivery with different delivery models, to ensure we reach those in dire need at the earliest.

3. We aim to open up critical care beds and reduce the burden on the health system, by supplying oxygen to those who can be treated at home.

4. We hope to leave behind a legacy of a network of oxygen resources to augment oxygen supplies in India, ensuring that India never faces a crisis like this again.

Our goal: 
We aim to avert deaths from oxygen shortages in the short term by immediately deploying 40,000 reusable oxygen cylinders and 20,000 oxygen concentrators in various cities and towns across India. Through this initiative, we will work with partners to establish a stable, reliable oxygen supply system for India for the long term.

Intended outcome:
1. Increase access to medical oxygen at home.

2. Augment medical oxygen supply in the country, especially rural India.

3. Open up critical care beds by supplying medical oxygen to those who can be treated at home, and hence reduce the burden on healthcare facilities.

Our models:
Model 1: Patient model - Solving the problem of last-mile delivery through our triage system and reliable supply
We are using a triaging system that involves 4-5 local hospitals per city operating in low-income communities. Eligible patients are prioritized by a team of doctors from each partner hospital, based on key clinical and economic parameters. These patients are able to pick up oxygen cylinders and concentrators at zero cost, but against a nominal, fully refundable deposit to ensure that these are returned, in order for the oxygen resources to be utilized optimally.  

Model 2: Rural model - Strengthening the health system by lending oxygen equipment to organizations that serve rural communities
OFI is providing oxygen equipment on a fully returnable basis to support Equipment Operator Partners (EOPs) primarily meeting oxygen equipment needs in rural, small towns, and peri-urban areas of India. We are targeting organizations serving rural communities to expand our reach and impact more people. We have already piloted this model in Pilani, Rajasthan, a remote town 5 hours from Delhi, which was recently declared as a containment zone. We now plan to establish similar networks across rural India, starting with the town of Melmaruvathur, Tamil Nadu. We are also partnering with Rotary under this model.

Our long term vision:

Once this crisis is over, we hope we can leave behind a legacy. We plan to build a network of oxygen resources including oxygen cylinders and concentrators to augment oxygen supplies in India. Empowering the country’s capacity to ensure that it never faces a crisis like this, is the vision of OxygenForIndia and the rightful impact of all the generous donations that have come from more than 12,000 donors across the world.

Utilization of funds:
All raised funds support the purchase of cylinders and concentrators, setting up operations, and transportation costs. We receive funds through the Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics & Policy (CDDEP), a 501c3 organization and global research organization that has been at the forefront of COVID-19 research, including leading the largest COVID-19 contact tracing study in the world. In India, we receive funds through the Tech4Health Foundation, a registered non-profit with 12a registration and an 80g tax exemption. Contributions from taxpayers in the US and India are fully tax-exempt to the extent of the law.

Led by Dr. Ramanan Laxminarayan, an economist, an epidemiologist, a professor at the University of Princeton, and founder of Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics & Policy (CDDEP), OxygenForIndia is a volunteer-run campaign to deliver lifesaving medical oxygen to those who need it the most. It is a collective effort of medical and public health professionals, volunteers, and concerned citizens around the world. We started this initiative with a handful of volunteers and now we are more than 120 strong.

For more details please visit our website: www.oxygenforindia.org

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