Oxygen Plant – TUTH

Oxygen Plant
Location: Maharajgunj, Kathmandu
Institution: Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital
Project: One of the basic but most important requirements for patient management, Medical Oxygen Supply is a huge problem in Tribhuvan University (TU) Teaching Hospital. The oxygen concentration plant of the hospital has not been functional since last few years and could not be repaired. Hospital is supplying oxygen from cylinders bought from other place and connected to the manifold. This is in fact costing a lot of expense to the hospital. In an average, TU Teaching Hospital spends about Rs. 50 Lakhs per year in these medical oxygen cylinders.

But due to the problem in supply and pipelines, even when giving 100 % oxygen, the maximum output is only 70-80% of oxygen and we need to connect a separate oxygen cylinder for those patients requiring higher oxygen concentration at the bedside. This has cause serious problem in our work and patient care also. Most of our mechanical ventilators are constantly alarming because of low oxygen and we cannot do anything. We are working with low oxygen supply risking our patient’s safety.

The main objectives of the proposal is to have a separate Oxygen Concentration Plant at TU Teaching Hospital which will provide oxygen to all the critical areas of the Hospital including the Operation Theater, Intensive Care Unit, Postoperative Ward. This will allow the remaining oxygen from the old plant to be diverted to remaining wards only and will also reduce the expenses on cylinder oxygen. The tentative plan is to purchase an Oxygen Concentration Plant around 400 – 500 liters and will be based on the budget.

TU Teaching Hospital will provide space for the Oxygen Concentration Plant behind the hospital premises at the side of Manmohan Heart Center.

The estimated budget for the 500 liters Oxygen Concentration Plant is around NRs 90 – 100 Lakh rupees (USD 90 – 100,000 )

Once the proposal is approved, it will take around one month to do the field survey, make specifications of plant and oxygen pipelines. Then this will be purchased and installed which will take around one month and within three months the oxygen plant could be connected to existing pipeline of OT and ICU and handed over to TU Teaching Hospital.

Institution: Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital
Location: Maharajgunj, Kathmandu
Title: Oxygen Plant
ID: 16TUTH001
Type: Facilities
Date: 8 May 2016
Grant: $100,000
Funded: $100,000
Nepal Manager: Dr Pradip Vaidya
USA Manager: Dr Subhash Acharya
Details: Create a separate Oxygen Concentration Plant at Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital which will provide oxygen to all the critical areas of the Hospital.
Oxygen Plant
16 Aug 19  ANMF/Nepal reports: The oxygen plant is running smoothly but having a problem with the maintenance of the plant as told by the in charge Bimal Tamang sir. There are no extra parts for the Oxygen plant brought by medioxy that should be there. Bimal sir has been advised to talk with the authorities of TUTH about this problem and fix it as soon as possible.
24 Feb 19  Project completed and closed by ANMF/America Board.
8 Jan 19  ANMF has conducted the handover ceremony of the Oxygen plant to Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital (TUTH). Dr. Sangita Basnet and Dr. Janak Koirala gave the handover letter to the Director of TUTH, Dr. Prem Krishna Khadga.
16 Nov 18  Report received from Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital.
12 Nov 18  The Oxygen plant has arrived and is in function as per the information provided by Mr. Chanchal Joshi operation incharge.
8 Aug 18  Mr. Bimal Tamang, oxygen plant operation and maintenance department, said Tribhuvan University "Teaching hospital delivers the oxygen supply to the patients almost free of cost which is quite costly in other private hospitals and this oxygen plant which is going to be installed will supply oxygen to Operation Theater, Intensive Care Unit, and Medical Intensive Care Unit of the hospital". The proposed 500 L oxygen plant was supposed to be installed almost 3 months ago but it has not been installed till now as we had to go through several processes in order to hire the specific vendor which needed to be selected by the technical committee of Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital on the basis different setup criteria and from the group of different vendors. Furthermore, the equipments need to be brought through shipments from Europe as suggested by the hired vendor i.e. Medioxy Pvt. Ltd. In addition to this it would be more time consuming as it could take more time in order to go through the same process for hiring a new vendor. We had a meeting with the vendor and he requested us to give more time and he also informed us that he was not able to get the required equipments from Europe through India due to different specific problems (strikes in India, difficulties in gathering the equipments despite showing every documentation, delay in sending the equipments through ship). The vendor is telling us that it could take about one more month for the successful installation of oxygen plant.
14 Jun 18  According to a letter from the contractor, Medioxy Pvt. Ltd., the construction of the oxygen plant will still take more than a month to be completed.
1 May 18  Update from ANMF/Nepal: Equipment has not arrived in Nepal yet. ANMF team visited the old Oxygen plant (which is not functioning) and also spoke with plant operator Mr. Bimal Tamang who has been working there for 14 years as well as the head of repair and maintenance department, and Mr. Chanchal Joshi who has been working there for 35 years. Mr. Chanchal and Mr.Bimal both were eagerly waiting for the new oxygen plant to be installed and addressed us that the oxygen plant will help many incoming patients at OTs and ICUs. We will be sending further more videos including information regarding this oxygen plant.
6 Apr 18  The vendor (Medioxy Pvt. Ltd.) has ordered the equipments/machines from Europe which has not arrived in Nepal yet. The vendor has told us that the oxygen plant will be installed within 2 weeks after the equipment arrives in Nepal.
30 Jan 18  Medioxy PVT. LTD. (contractor of oxygen concentration plant) has ordered the equipment required for the construction of oxygen plant and it will take around 6-7 weeks for the equipment to arrive. Pictures of the previous oxygen plant (which needs to be dismantled) and the room separated for the new oxygen plant.
27 Nov 17  ANMF/Nepal has signed the contract with Medioxy Pvt. Ltd. for the construction of oxygen concentration plant (500 L) at Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital (TUTH).
15 Nov 17  The Technical Committee at Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital (TUTH) selected Medioxy Pvt. Ltd. as the most appropriate vendor but Technical Associate’s Services (TAS) submitted a letter of objection to ANMF/Nepal, TUTH and Commission for the Investigation of Abuse and Authority. As a part of the bidding process, ANMF/Nepal could not initiate the construction work due to the letter of objection provided by TAS. ANMF/Nepal is waiting for the meeting of TUTH Oxygen Plant Technical Committee so that the decision can be made and the construction work can be started as soon as possible.
21 Sep 17  As per the procurement act, the news was published in Gorkhapatra (National Daily newspaper) regarding the selection of the most appropriate supplier according to the assessment done by a biomedical engineer at TUTH. ANMF/Nepal still needs to wait for next 7 days as per the rule after the public notice is published so as to clarify other vendors, who seek reasons, for not being selected. The construction work is most likely to be started after the Dashain vacation. Please find the attached picture including the published news.
7 Aug 17  The specifications and quotations have been received from different institutions. As ANMF-Nepal does not have its own biomedical engineer, the documents received have been outsourced to a biomedical engineer of TUTH for the selection of the most appropriate vendor.
18 Jun 17  The specifications for the construction of the oxygen concentration plant has been provided by TUTH. The notice for submitting the application along with the certified documents has been published by ANMF in the national daily newspaper to call out the interested companies for constructing the oxygen concentration plant at TUTH.
28 Apr 17  $100,000 transferred to ANMF/Nepal.
27 Apr 17  Memorandum of understanding (1, 2) signed by TUTH and ANMF/Nepal.
14 Mar 17  Approval received from Nepal Social Welfare Council. Director (Dr. Deepak Prakash Mahara) of Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital (TUTH) has requested ANMF/Nepal to execute the TUTH Oxygen plant project and hand over the oxygen plant after its completion.
13 Sep 16  Fund Assurance Notice sent to ANMF/Nepal.
5 Sep 16  Memorandum of understanding needs to be signed for funds transfer.
15 May 16  Approved by ANMF Projects Committee.
8 May 16  Approved by ANMF Board.
17 Dec 15  Proposal received by ANMF.
Oxygen Plant
 
16 Nov 18  Report received from Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital.
14 Jun 18  Letter from Contractor
27 Nov 17  Construction Contract (page 1, page 2)
27 Sep 17  Published News
27 Apr 17  Memorandum of Understanding (page 1, page 2)
27 Apr 17  Social Welfare Council Approvals (page 1, page 2)
17 Dec 15  Proposal
Oxygen Plant
 
7 January 2019 – Handover of New Oxygen Plant
 
16 November 2018 – New Oxygen Plant
 
30 January 2018 – Previous Oxygen Plant
 
27 April 2017 – Memorandum of Understanding