Govt plans oxygen management system in 20 districts

The government will establish an integrated medical oxygen management system in at least 20 districts in the current fiscal year to ensure reliable access to oxygen therapy, State Minister for Health and Family Welfare MA Muhit said on Sunday.

He made the remarks while speaking as the chief guest at the Bangladesh Oxygen Summit 2026, hosted by Independent University, Bangladesh (IUB), on its campus in Dhaka, according to a press release.

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Organised by the Bangladesh Oxygen Network, in collaboration with IUB’s Center for Health, Implementation and Policy Sciences (CHIPS), the summit was held in three sessions under the theme “Journey to Achieve Equitable Access to Medical Oxygen”.

The two-day summit ended on Sunday.

Muhit said the government plans to gradually expand the system nationwide from the next fiscal year.

He said the government has, for the first time, recognised oxygen therapy as an essential health service.

The government is also working on an oxygen roadmap for 2026-2030, he said, adding that the information, data, research and declaration presented at the summit would contribute to its development.

Thanking IUB and the organisers, Muhit said the summit would help inform government efforts to strengthen medical oxygen services.

Prof M Tamim, vice-chancellor of IUB, chaired the session.

Md Nasser Shahrear Zahedee, chairman of Radiant Pharmaceuticals Limited; Prof Sayeba Akhter, president of the Bangladesh Medical Research Council; Prof M Monir Hossain Khan, secretary general of SOSB; Prof Shohael Mahmud Arafat, president of APB; Kazi Ahmed Zaki, director of the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research; and Shahnewaz Dewan, director of planning and research at the Directorate General of Health Services, attended the dialogue.

Shams El Arifeen, senior scientist at icddr,b; Kazi Saifuddin Bennoor, joint secretary of the Bangladesh Lung Foundation; SK Md Mamunur Rahman Malik, former World Health Organization representative to Somalia; public health expert SM Asib Nasim; and Md Alamgir Hossain, upazila health and family planning officer of Harinakunda, Jhenaidah, were also present.

On the opening day, Saturday, CHIPS Director SM Moazzem Hossain delivered the welcome remarks, while Bangladesh Oxygen Network Convener Ahmed Ehsanur Rahman outlined the summit's objectives. Malalay Ahmadzai, chief of health at UNICEF Bangladesh, also spoke.