Drive DeVilbiss and Sanrai Install PulmO2 10L Concentrators in Burundi
Drive DeVilbiss and Sanrai International are pleased to announce the successful installation of the PulmO2 10L Concentrators in Burundi. This installation was supported by DAK International Network (formerly DAK Foundation), Gould Family Foundation, and Lifenet International. These units are some of the very first PulmO2 devices to be shipped!
Gould Family Foundation Technician, Mugume Rogers, travelled to St Joseph’s Hospital in Gitega to install three PulmO2 devices and train 13 hospital personnel. The PulmO2 will be used to serve patients, particularly in the neonatal ward, where previously oxygen cylinders were used.
Marnie Rickards from DAK says:
“DAK has been supporting medical oxygen initiatives for resource constrained settings as far back as 2010. We saw that oxygen concentrators were a great and reliable solution but only if the conditions were right: stable power, someone responsible for maintenance, ability and budget to secure spare parts and consumables. But even with these “goldilocks” conditions there was a fundamental problem. Older generation machines were designed for high-income domestic settings. What our partners needed was a robust, energy-efficient and fit-for-purpose oxygen concentrator. So after years of seed funding oxygen initiatives and even supporting national scale-ups in countries like Laos PDR and Mali, we were thrilled to see the development and commercialization of the PulmO2.
At a macro level, the professionalization of biomedical technicians coupled with gradual electrification of health structures means that oxygen concentrators remain a viable solution for many rural facilities, where PSA plant or liquid O2 infrastructure is impractical and unaffordable.”
The feedback from St Joseph’s Hospital was very positive and they praised the inclusion of the O2 start up indicator and the oxygen purity indicators. The multi-language labels were also used to ensure important information is easily understood directly on the PulmO2 by clinicians and users.
Oliver Niemann from Drive DeVilbiss says:
“With the PulmO2, along with Sanrai, we’ve developed a fit for purpose oxygen concentrator for the first time meant to be used in clinical environments with harsher conditions. This hospital installation in Burundi perfectly highlights who this product is meant to serve. We are thrilled to see many partners coming together to ensure access to oxygen using the PulmO2. It is our hope that patients around the world, no matter where they live, have a reliable source of oxygen.”
This installation is the first of a multi-country partnership between these organizations to ensure oxygen is accessible in some of the hardest to reach areas in the world.
We thank all partners in this collaboration and are excited to continue efforts, not only in installing devices, but also training and building healthcare worker capacity to ensure patients in need of oxygen are served wherever they live.
