Infant Pneumonia Deaths- An unheard wail for oxygen in MEA: Actual Market Research

Pneumonia causes around 750000 child deaths per year in sub-Saharan African countries. The lack of accessibility to prompt and effective treatment is an important contributor to this burden. The research report titled Middle East & Africa Medical Oxygen Concentrators Market Outlook, 2026 by Actual Market Research categorizes the market to forecast the revenues and analyze the trends in each of the following segments: based on product, technology, end users, countries & major companies.

Medical oxygen, which is potentially life-saving, is in limited supply in the developing world, although the extent and nature of the problem are not well documented. Oxygen concentrators have been proposed as an answer to the high cost and logistical problems associated with oxygen cylinders, the traditional method of supply, restricting the value of the Middle East & Africa market to USD 0.16 Billion in 2015. The suitability of concentrators for the developing world is still in question, and a realistic appraisal of the role of concentrators in different contexts is needed, along with user-friendly guidance to assist decision-making. Yet, with better regimes and government initiative towards health care is to predict growth at 7% through the forecasted period.

Pneumonia is an acute form of respiratory tract infection whereby the lung alveoli become filled with fluid, causing painful breathing and limiting oxygen intake. Apart from this, as Covid-19 spreads throughout the region, a potentially deadly lack of oxygen is leaving patients gasping for breath. Even though the oxygen cylinder segment leads the market with nearly half of the share, the region encountered an uneven distribution of the essential support. Thus, the portable oxygen concentrator segment is expected to grow with a high CAGR of 10.52% in the forecasted period. Concentrators have cost advantages where the power supply is reliable, whereas cylinders currently appear to be the most workable cost-effective choice where power is not reliable and where cylinder transport is workable.

The prevalence of asthma is also high, with increasing rates of severe asthma in adolescents. Underdiagnosis is a major concern and reduction in exposure to environmental factors, particularly smoking, and improved socioeconomic development is needed. The WHO recommendation of one concentrator to every 10–15 beds was followed, with one backup concentrator added. The need for a continuous power supply and the tendency of concentrators to break down were problematic. The leading continuous flow technology segment accounted for USD 0.20 Billion in 2020. While solar power has several advantages, including independence from fossil fuels, the careful daily maintenance required for systems powerful enough to run concentrators make the latter currently impractical for most health facilities in the countries. The pulse flow technology segment is expected to continue having a high anticipated growth rate of 14.34%.

Hospitals have been using unprecedented amounts of oxygen during the wave of Covid-19, and producers have scrambled to keep them in stock. However, the nonhome care segment is to grow to merely a value of USD 0.10 Billion. The region is dominated by Saudi Arabia, which has been showing a drastic decline over the period, holding to 18% in 2020. South Africa accounted for the least of the market, hardly managing a single-digit share till 2023.