THE Global Fund has approved USD 75 million in fast-track funding to support India's response to the COVID-19 crisis that is devastating the country. This new funding will support India in purchasing oxygen concentrators and Pressure Swing Adsorption (PSA) oxygen plants to help meet the medium-term needs for medical oxygen.

India is currently facing a severe scarcity of oxygen and is recording its highest daily coronavirus death toll since the pandemic began, with over 3,780 deaths in the past 24 hours alone.

"The situation in India is heartbreaking," said Mr Peter Sands, Executive Director of the Global Fund. "While the most immediate gap is medical oxygen, we also need to invest in the health systems and health workers needed to treat the patients and respond to COVID-19. Oxygen will save lives, but it is only part of the solution. We must massively scale up testing and vaccinations to stop the spread of COVID-19 in India and worldwide."

Even before the pandemic, low- and middle-income countries were facing chronic oxygen shortages for treating other conditions and diseases, and COVID-19 is now pushing health systems to the brink.

As India's acute oxygen needs are being addressed by its government and partners, the Global Fund's response is supporting higher output oxygen solutions that will be beneficial as the COVID-19 response develops. The emergence and rapid spread of more virulent variants highlights the importance of a global and comprehensive approach to fight the pandemic.

"What is happening in India can happen elsewhere. This is a warning that we cannot let our guard down," said Mr Sands. 

The new funding is in addition to USD 36.8 million approved for India in 2020 through the Global Fund's COVID-19 Response Mechanism to help mitigate the pandemic's impact on HIV, tuberculosis and malaria programs, purchase personal protective equipment for frontline health workers, procure testing equipment and strengthen health systems.