International and national standards such as AS2568, AS2896, AS3551, HTM-2022, HTM02-01 require routine checks on the quality of medical gas supplied to patients. With Qi Medical Air Testing, BOC Healthcare supports the pharmacist to ensure that the right gas with the appropriate quality flows through the hospital's pipelines to the outlet next to the patient. The service includes management, sampling, logistics, laboratory analysis according to pharmacopoeia and gas quality analysis results detailed in an analysis certificate.

To ensure compliance with the requirements of GMP, onsite medical gas manufacture like compressed air must be analysed at regular intervals. BOC Healthcare can advise on how, where and when samples should be taken as well as provide quick onsite checks and high grade laboratory analysis of samples. It has been shown that up to 20 percent of onsite medical air samples regularly fall short of the pharmacopeia standard.

Two levels of monitoring are required:

1. For medicinal gases delivered to site (medical oxygen, nitrous oxide, medical air etc.)

2. For gases manufactured onsite (such as medical air) where, in addition to demonstration of compliance with the principles of GMP, more frequent analyses are necessary to show compliance with Pharmaceutical Standards.

Gas samples are collected onsite by trained personnel using specially designed evacuated vessels. Two samples are normally taken at each point so that cross checks can be made in case of any quality issues. The samples are returned to a BOC NATA/IANZ certified laboratory where, under strict conditions, quality analyses are carried out.