Empty Oxygen Tank Leaves Military Man Dead

The news of an empty oxygen tank leaving a military man dead has sent shockwaves around the world. The incident highlights the critical shortage of medical oxygen in many countries, particularly those with limited resources.

Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus of the World Health Organization (WHO) recently warned that at the current rate of COVID-19 cases, the world would need approximately 88,000 large cylinders of oxygen every day. This staggering number underscores the gravity of the situation and the urgent need for action.

The WHO is working with partners to increase access to medical oxygen in developing countries where it has been woefully lacking. Leith Greenslade, a global health activist with Every Breath Counts, emphasized that oxygen has been missing from the global agenda for decades.

Tragic stories like that of Issane Ly, a telecommunications engineer and U.S. resident who split his time between Atlanta suburbs and Guinea, serve as a grim reminder of the devastating consequences of this shortage. Ly boarded a flight to Guinea in February, promising his wife and young daughters he would be home by April to celebrate Ramadan with them. Unfortunately, he never made it back.

Tom Frieden, former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), stressed that oxygen is one of the most important interventions in treating COVID-19 patients, yet it remains in very short supply. The poor and unlucky are left gasping for air, as hospitals and medical centers struggle to provide this essential treatment.

In Guinea, the situation is particularly dire. Medical facilities such as the Donka public hospital in Conakry rely on secondhand pickup trucks to transport oxygen cylinders from the sole source of medical-grade oxygen, the SOGEDI factory dating back to the 1950s. This costly challenge highlights the need for sustainable solutions and international cooperation.

The empty oxygen tank that left a military man dead serves as a stark reminder of the devastating consequences of this shortage. It is imperative that governments, organizations, and individuals come together to address this critical issue and ensure that all patients have access to the oxygen they need to survive.

Empty oxygen tank leaves military man dead