Service and projects
Global Fund sustainability guidance for PSA oxygen plants (2024)
Overview: Sustainability Guidance for PSA Oxygen Plants is a four-page Global Fund document dated 22 August 2024, developed by Build Health International for Project BOXER, that lists minimum considerations for the sustainable operation of PSA oxygen plants funded fully or partially by the Global Fund, UNICEF, UNDP or UNOPS.
The document
It is a four-page overview, published in English and in French (Aperçu : Guide de pérennisation des centrales de production d'oxygène PSA), both dated 22 August 2024; the French version says it was produced and translated by Build Health International for Project BOXER. It describes PSA plants as only one part of a complex national oxygen ecosystem, and says its considerations can be brought in at any phase: design, procurement, pre-installation, site preparation, post-installation, commissioning, daily operations and planning cycles. Where available, it links to separate resource documents for detail; all the Build Health International resources it links can also be found at www.bhioxygen.org.
What each section asks for
| Section | Selected minimum considerations |
|---|---|
| Health coverage | Size the plant for the facility and the surrounding facilities it supports, not on current demand; compare production with consumption every year; a back-up plan with a defined maximum number of shutdown days and an escalation procedure |
| Infrastructure and logistics | Siting that mitigates air pollution, flooding and noise; mitigation of extreme heat and cold; properly balanced 3-phase power, correctly sized cables and protection from voltage fluctuation; appropriately sized backup power, with renewable power considered instead of generators |
| Finance | Capital costs (plant, plant house, electrical upgrades, cylinders and carts, pipeline work) and operating costs (spare parts, maintenance, repairs, electricity, diesel, distribution, salaries); long-term planning for a life cycle it puts at 10 years on average |
| Human resources | Operating plans completed before installation; daily records of production and of purity with at least two different analysers; trained staff on site during operation; competencies defined before the manufacturer's training |
| Market landscape | A long-term warranty and maintenance contract (5 years), strongly advised; contact details of the manufacturer, spare parts source and local service agent; a spare parts inventory of at least two years |
| Norms, standards and regulations | A national strategy for oxygen investment and capacity building; a quality assurance protocol with purity measured at least daily with a handheld analyser; occupational health, fire and electrical safety, including lockout/tagout |
Points to watch
- It is an overview of minimum considerations, not a technical specification; among its additional resources it lists WHO's Foundations of medical oxygen systems and WHO's technical specifications for PSA plants, linked to the 2020 interim guidance that WHO's December 2024 specifications supersede.
- Its figures, such as the 5-year contract and the two-year spare parts stock, are recommendations of the guidance for plants funded by the Global Fund and its partners.
- How these considerations apply in a hospital is covered in what makes an oxygen plant sustainable. Global Fund briefing notes written for the same project include those on PSA plant oxygen purity and on PSA, VSA and VPSA.
More questions
Who wrote the Global Fund sustainability guidance for PSA plants?
Build Health International, for the Global Fund's Project BOXER; the overview is dated 22 August 2024.
What life cycle does it assume for a PSA plant?
It asks for long-term financial planning for the plant's life cycle, which it puts at 10 years on average.
Sources
- Global Fund / Build Health International, Overview: Sustainability Guidance for PSA Oxygen Plants (22 August 2024), English
- Global Fund / Build Health International, Aperçu : Guide de pérennisation des centrales de production d'oxygène PSA (22 août 2024), French
- WHO, Technical specifications for health facility based medical oxygen systems (31 December 2024), 1.1 note (supersedes the 2020 interim PSA specifications)
Ultra Controlo figures come from its technical datasheets. Third-party facts were read at the source on the date shown.