The G-01 guideline defines the fundamental requirements for medical gas supply systems in healthcare facilities and primarily addresses central supply systems and backup systems that deliver gases through a fixed piping network.
The set of requirements focuses on the design, installation, testing, operation, maintenance, and performance of these systems.
The requirements apply to compressed medical gas systems listed in the Pharmaceutical Division formulary, including:
- Oxygen
- Nitrous oxide
- Medical air for ventilation
- Medical air for instrumentation
- Carbon dioxide
- Nitrogen for surgical tool operation
- Mixtures of compressed medical gases
as well as to:
- Medical vacuum systems
- Anesthetic gas scavenging systems
The Ministry of Health relates both to the systems as a whole and to the individual system components, including supply sources, piping networks, terminal units (gas outlets) at points of use, and alarm and safety systems.
The regulatory requirements apply to all parties involved in the field of medical gases, including healthcare facility management, hospital engineers, designers, contractors and installers, equipment manufacturers and suppliers, project managers and supervisors, inspectors, operators, and maintenance personnel (technical services and biomedical engineering teams).
It should be clarified that these requirements apply to the following systems and activities:
- Medical gas supply systems in healthcare facilities intended solely for medical purposes. The requirements primarily apply to central supply systems and backup systems connected to patients through a fixed piping network.
- Any new activity related to medical gas systems carried out within healthcare facilities, including activities such as new construction, renovation of existing buildings, change of building designation, installation of new gas supply systems, upgrades, or modifications to existing supply systems.
Ministry of Health directives permit the upgrading of existing systems, provided that continued operation of the systems in their current condition does not endanger human life or health.
It is important to emphasize that medical gas systems are defined as essential and life-support systems. Therefore, the risks associated with their use require strict and even enhanced attention in the design, installation, testing, operation, and maintenance of these systems, in order to achieve, among other things, the following objectives:
- Ensuring that system performance meets the medical needs of the healthcare facility
- Ensuring system reliability and continuity of supply
- Maintaining system safety and user safety
As the undersigned is a certified engineer authorized to inspect medical gas systems, we hereby offer the following services for the purpose of issuing a certified engineer’s approval confirming that operation of the various systems within the healthcare facility does not endanger human life or health:
- Inspection of systems in newly established healthcare facilities prior to issuance of the required approval.
- Inspection of systems in healthcare facilities that have undergone renovation, change of building designation, or similar modifications, prior to issuance of the required approval.
- Inspection of systems in existing healthcare facilities prior to issuance of the required approval.
- Annual periodic inspections.
Read more about a Medical Gas Systems Inspection Engineer at dental clinics.
