Anguilla’s main public healthcare facility, the Princess Alexandra Hospital, is undertaking a major project to modernise its medical oxygen generation and distribution system.
The new system will ensure continuous bedside oxygen, higher capacity, improved efficiency with less manual handling, and greater resilience with automatic changeover and contingency reserves.
The US$250,000 upgrade is being supported by the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) and funded by Direct Relief – a non-profit organisation that provides medical resources.
Led by Caribbean Investment Limited under the management of Julius Williams, the project is scheduled for commissioning by 30 September.
Members of Anguilla Focus get exclusive discount codes for accommodation, travel and activities! Click here to join from just $3 per month.
Once completed, the new system will provide continuous bedside oxygen supply for critically ill patients and all hospital wards, overcoming the limitations of the previous system.
A press release from the government on 24 September said the former system produced 10 bottles every 24 hours which were then distributed manually from the plant to the hospital.
The new system, under installation, will have the capacity to produce four bottles an hour – up to 100 bottles daily, and a reserve capacity of 200 oxygen tanks.
Oxygen will also be directly piped to the hospital, ensuring round-the-clock bedside supply for the first time in nearly two decades, the press release said.
The new system is expected to be commissioned by 30 September. The existing plant, which has served Anguilla since 2018, will remain as a backup during maintenance or emergencies.
An official handover ceremony is scheduled for early October.
Acting health commissioner Malcolm Webster led a tour of the installation for senior ministerial health advisor Niel Rogers and health minister Cardigan Connor.
Watch highlights from the tour below:
