A new chapter of hope is being written in Thomonde, where Zanmi Lasante (ZL), as Partners In Health is known in Haiti, opened its first oxygen plant in collaboration with the Ministry of Public Health and Population (MSPP) in August.
Bringing new infrastructure and innovation to the Central Plateau and lower Artibonite regions, the Thomonde Oxygen Production Center marks a significant step towards improving health care delivery in Haiti, providing a reliable and sustainable supply of medical oxygen to communities with limited access to critical resources.
Hospitals and clinics across Haiti have experienced dire shortages of medical oxygen, preventing them from administering lifesaving medical treatment. Fuel scarcity, blocked roads, supply chain issues, and broken oxygen generators have all made the availability of oxygen when and where it is most needed significantly more challenging.
ZL health care facilities in Central Plateau and the lower Artibonite previously relied on the costly purchase and transport of about 850 oxygen cylinders per month. Too often, however, patients with severe respiratory conditions and other critical illnesses endured long waits for oxygen supplies, and at times, faced shortages and delays that put their chances of survival in jeopardy.
With the capacity to produce up to 100 cylinders of oxygen per day, the Thomonde Oxygen Production Center puts an end to troubling uncertainties. Local oxygen production eliminates the dependence on external oxygen supplies and will significantly improve emergency response, the quality of neonatal care, the ability to treat chronic and acute conditions, and reduce mortality rates.
The center also reduces the costs and logistical hurdles associated with importing oxygen from distant locations, allowing ZL to reallocate resources to other critical areas.
Pierre Louis Wilson, an oxygen plant operator, at the facility’s inaugural event in August 2024.
Photo by Thierry Bozile / Partners In Health
Operating 24 hours per day, the facility offers new employment opportunities to the community, staffed by three rotating teams of plant operators and technicians who perform daily procedures, including maintenance and repairs.
Reporting to Plant Manager Jean Marie Aneus, staff are trained by PIH in partnership with Build Health International to maintain oxygen infrastructure, complete future upgrades, and ensure long-term function.
Roosevelt Jean, the Thomonde Health Center administrator, was integral to the success of the project, actively participating in the planning and development stages. Community involvement, while also promoting a sense of ownership and sustainability, is vital to assure the oxygen plant addresses regional needs.
“This center will play a crucial role in providing oxygen first to the Thomonde Health Center and the health institutions in the Central Plateau, thus strengthening our ability to save lives and improve the health of the communities we serve,” said Dr. Wesler Lambert, executive director of ZL, at an inaugural event for the facility.
Dr. Wolve Irvens Charles, an MSPP representative, added: “This new oxygen plant clearly demonstrates the sincerity and transparency of the collaboration between the MSPP and Zanmi Lasante. In keeping with the principle of partnership, let us make sure that together this new oxygen production center will contribute to a high proportion of oxygen production that can meet not only the needs of the department’s regions, but other regions of the country too.”
ZL plans to establish other oxygen production centers at key sites, increasing its ability to provide essential health services and making its network fully autonomous in terms of oxygen supply. A long-term investment in improved infrastructure and quality of life, the oxygen infrastructure is certain to help people living in Haiti breathe easier.
