Care for patients
With 2 million patients and 20,000 hospitals and clinics served worldwide, Air Liquide is a major player in the healthcare sector. Working alongside patients, professionals and hospitals, we aim to improve patients’ quality of life and contribute to a more efficient health system. Our employees’ mobilization during the Covid crisis has shown we can take on increasing responsibility in this area.
Improving the quality of life of chronic patients at home in mature economies
In Home Healthcare, Air Liquide takes care of patients with chronic conditions, such as respiratory diseases and diabetes. Working with healthcare professionals and caregivers, we are committed to improving patients’ quality of life by raising disease awareness, educating and empowering patients, identifying the outcomes that matter most to them, and personalizing services to their conditions and lifestyles.
Facilitating access to medical oxygen for rural communities in low- and middle-income countries
The lack of medical oxygen in rural communities of low-and middle-income countries has serious consequences for people, especially children with pneumonia. This disease is the leading cause of death in children under five, with an estimated 800,000 deaths worldwide each year1.
To meet this need, Air Liquide has been implementing the Access OxygenTM program since 2017.
Access OxygenTM is an innovative oxygen therapy solution adapted to the rural and suburban healthcare structures in these countries. It includes the equipment needed to deliver oxygen to a patient, a training program for healthcare workers using digital tools, and a maintenance service.
In order to build a sustainable and affordable medical oxygen supply infrastructure, Air Liquide seeks and brings together:
- International donors who fund the equipment and the service
- Local operators who implement Access OxygenTM and charge rural health facilities for the service at an affordable rate
- Air Liquide teams, which provide support for the deployment of the Access OxygenTM technical solution
In 2023, Access OxygenTM continued its development in Africa
In Kenya, for the first time, the Access OxygenTM offer is supported by a local operator in a country where the Group is not present. An initial pilot was launched in July 2022 in the Bungoma region and will be extended to the Nairobi region in 2023.
In South Africa, the Unjani network of primary care clinics is working with VitalAire South Africa, the Group's healthcare subsidiary, to extend the availability of medical oxygen to all clinics in the network thanks to Access OxygenTM.
Since the program's launch in 2017, more than 2 million people in low- and middle-income countries have gained easier access to medical oxygen.