Summary of Social Enterprise Oxygen Models in Kenya, Rwanda, and Ethiopia
| Siaya, Kenya | Ruhengeri, Rwanda | Bahir Dar, Ethiopia | Dessie, Ethiopia | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Business model | PPP managed by a for-profit social business enterprise | Social enterprise within a government hospital, managed by executive board | PPP comanaged by international NGO and Regional Health Bureau | PPP comanaged by international NGO and Regional Health Bureau |
| Time to break even, months | 14 | 13 | 13 | 13 |
| Percent change in quarterly procurement of 50 L oxygen cylinders at hubs (host hospitals where plants are located), % | 12 (82 in Q1 to 92 in Q6)a | 1403 (60 at baseline to 902 in Q8) | −27 (6,425 at baseline to 4,704 in Q8)b | 73 (1,893 at baseline to 3,273 in Q6) |
| Health facilities served in first 24 months of operation, No. | 39 | 9 | 60 | 39 |
| Mean percent increase in procurement of 50 L oxygen cylinders in spoke customers (customers not hosting PSA plant on-site), % | 112 (Q1 to Q6) | 220 (baseline to Q8) | 195 (at 24 months) | 189 (at 24 months) |
Abbreviations: NGO, nongovernmental organization; PPP, public-private partnership; PSA, pressure swing adsorption; Q, quarter.
↵a Hub hospitals in Rwanda and Ethiopia had baseline figures for comparison. Unfortunately, these numbers were not available for Kenya. Because increases are calculated from Q1 instead of baseline, it is likely that figures here significantly underrepresent real changes. Data for Kenya was not available beyond Q6.
↵b We deduce the decrease in oxygen consumed at this host hospital was due to the fact that total patient volume decreased at the host hospital, likely due to the opening of another teaching hospital in the same town. Staff members also reported that oxygen cylinders from the previous supplier were not often full when received, causing them to purchase more cylinders from other suppliers.