Medical gas systems to receive specialized supervision to prevent hazards at medical facilities
The consequences of not having certified engineers and other qualified employees specifically tending to medical gas can lead to accidents or even fatalities.
In recent years, there have been a number of shocking mix-ups involving medical gas that was mistakenly given to hospital and clinic patients; some patients were harmed and even accidentally killed.
Now, the Knesset Health Committee has finally approved for a second and third reading an amendment to the People’s Health Ordinance that requires supervision by licensed personnel at general, geriatric, and psychiatric hospitals; clinics for small and medium surgery; gastroenterology clinics; and dental clinics.
The ordinance regulates the certification, approval of the construction, maintenance, and installation of medical gas systems. Committee chairman and Shas MK Yoni Mashriki welcomed the proposed amendment that, he said, will improve security of the equipment and the preservation of human life. He called on the ministry to promote training for the gas system engineers and technicians and stressed that he was convinced that these are balanced regulations.
Engineer David Shemesh, director of the Health Ministry’s engineering infrastructure, said that a long course for training gas technicians was opened recently.
Who is considered qualified?
The certification requirements for the various positions to handle the medical gas systems are based on international standards and the recommendations of a professional advisory committee established by the ministry. Attorney Mira Reva, the ministry’s legal adviser, explained that the medical-gas systems in hospitals and clinics are vital, life-supporting, and life-sustaining.
The installation and use of medical-gas systems can potentially involve real risks, since these are very sensitive systems, and malfunctions in them may cause, and even caused in the past, harm to human life. That is why the planning, installation, operation, and maintenance of the medical gas systems require professional skill, and they are required to meet high safety standards.
Attorney Mira Reva, the ministry’s legal advisor, explained at the previous committee meeting that the medical-gas systems in hospitals and clinics are vital, life-supporting, and life-sustaining systems during treatment.
The installation and use of medical-gas systems can potentially involve real risks, since these are very sensitive systems, and malfunctions in them may cause, and even caused in the past, harm to human life.That is why the planning, installation, operation, and maintenance of the medical gas systems require professional skill, and they are required to meet high safety standards, backed by inspection and integrity certificates from qualified professionals such as engineers and technicians with practical experience in the field who have undergone dedicated training for these operations, she said, without explaining why it took so long to turn the experts’ recommendations into an amendment.
The amendment will impose an obligation on the manager of a medical institution to perform the prescribed actions in relation to the medical gas systems by those in charge only – installers, supervisors, operators, and testing engineers, in accordance with the American certification standard, and to determine the conditions of qualification and training of each of them.
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