La Paz, June 2026 – With the goal of assessing the health system's capacity in the production, storage, distribution, and use of a vital resource, the Ministry of Health and Sports, with technical support from the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), carried out a specialized mission in the country. This action is part of the technical response to the health emergency triggered by blockades that disrupted the supply of essential inputs.
Engineer Lucio Brito, a specialist from PAHO´s Department of Innovation, Medicines, and Health Technologies, led an intensive work agenda alongside a national technical team. Over five days, they held meetings with national authorities, conducted a key exchange with the Universidad Mayor de San Andrés (UMSA), and visited hospitals and oxygen production plants in La Paz, El Alto, and Santa Cruz. The deployment of this technical expertise was made possible thanks to invaluable support under the SURGE modality from the PAHO Office for the Eastern Caribbean (PAHO Barbados).
The field assessment identified significant strengths, including the existence of active oxygen generation plants and a workforce deeply committed to the continuity of health services. However, the mission also highlighted strategic challenges essential to ensuring a safe and sustainable supply, among which the following stand out:
The need to establish medical oxygen as an essential, life-saving resource.
Strengthening the competencies of specialized technical personnel.
Standardizing measurement, control, and distribution processes, as well as consolidating permanent monitoring systems for plants and equipment.
Enhancing coordination among engineering, pharmacy, administration, and clinical services to ensure that oxygen maintains the highest quality standards from production to the patient's bedside.
As a result of this comprehensive assessment — which took into account critical variables such as the effect of extreme altitude in El Alto (derating), the stability of hospital electrical networks, and the pneumatic compatibility of filling systems — the mission proposed a clear technical roadmap. Recommendations include the development of a national plan for medical oxygen management, the creation of an up-to-date inventory of installed technological infrastructure, the implementation of ongoing preventive maintenance programs, and continuous staff training.
These proposals were received with full openness by national authorities, who demonstrated their firm commitment to continuing to strengthen the Bolivian health system in emergency situations.
