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Cardinal Healthcare Foundation
  • A tale of equity and equal breath

Project AirUP

AirUP is a social project Cardinal Healthcare Foundation, created to tackle the medical oxygen crisis in underserved communities. Oxygen is a lifesaving resource, yet in many rural and low-resource areas, hospitals struggle to access affordable, high-quality medical oxygen, putting countless lives at risk especially for newborns, patients with respiratory illnesses, and those requiring emergency care.

Recognizing this urgent need, Cardinal Healthcare Foundation partnered with HealthPort Africa to launch Air Up in December 2023. The initiative was born out of a commitment to health equity, ensuring that no patient dies due to a lack of medical oxygen.
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​Our Mission is to To make medical oxygen accessible and affordable for underserved communities by identifying supply gaps, deploying oxygen plants, and sustaining reliable oxygen delivery.

The State of Oxygen Access in Nigeria

80% of Primary Healthcare Centers (PHCs) in Nigeria are dysfunctional, leaving rural communities without reliable oxygen access.

70% of healthcare costs are out-of-pocket, making medical oxygen unaffordable for many.

Nigeria has a 1:6000 doctor-patient ratio, worsening access to emergency respiratory care.

Hypoxia-related deaths are preventable with timely oxygen therapy, but many facilities lack the infrastructure to provide it.

Bridging The Oxygen Gap

Through our strategic partnership with HealthPort Africa, AirUP provides affordable, high-purity medical oxygen to underserved hospitals and clinics. We identify hospitals with high oxygen demand, install oxygen plants, and ensure efficient distribution to surrounding health facilities.

Assess & Identify

We evaluate communities to determine where oxygen supply gaps exist.

Deploy Oxygen Plants

We install O2 Cubes for small hospitals and PSA Oxygen Plants for larger facilities, ensuring a steady supply of medical oxygen.

Sustain & Maintain

We operate and monitor the plants, providing preventive maintenance and equipment oversight to guarantee reliability.

AirUP Impact

4

Oxygen plants deployed in key regions to meet critical demand.

166

Hospitals assessed across 50+ underserved cities.

2000+

People educated on respiratory health through outreaches

Regions, States & Communities Touched

AirUP has reached five geopolitical zones in Nigeria, impacting hospitals and communities in 18 states:

South West Region

States Covered: Ogun, Osun, Oyo, Ondo, Ekiti.
Notable Locations:
  • Osogbo - Osun State
  • Akure - Ondo State
  • Isara - Ogun State
  • Iseyin -  Oyo State
  • Tejoun Village - Ogun State

South-South Region

States Covered: Rivers, Akwa-Ibom, Cross-River
Notable Locations:
  •  Uyo - Akwa-Ibom
  • Ugep -  Cross-River
  • Morning Star Hospital, Rivers State
  • Ikot-Udobia - Akwa-Ibom

North-Central Region

States Covered: Kwara, Plateau, Nasarawa, Niger
Notable Locations:
  •  Ilorin -  Kwara State
  •  Minna - Niger State
  •  Lafia -  Nasarawa State
  • Nakere -  Nasarawa State
  •  Jos - Plateau State

South-East Region

States Covered: Ebonyi, Abia, Enugu, Anambra

Notable Locations:
  •  Afikpo -  Ebonyi State
  • Uturu - Abia State
  • Godfrey Okoye University Teaching Hospital, Enugu
  •  Awka -  Anambra State
  • Ezzagu Village - Ebonyi State

North-West Region

State Covered: Kaduna

Notable Locations:
  • Barau Diko University Teaching Hospital, Kaduna
  • Sabon Tasha - Kaduna
  • Bayan Dutse - Kaduna 



Pictures Speaks

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