Standard Chartered is the first bank in the country to donate oxygen plants to three medical facilities

Standard Chartered Bangladesh recently coordinated efforts with TMSS Medical College and Rafatullah Community Hospital (TMC & RCH) to ensure that patients have access to life-saving medical oxygen at all times. 

The onset and height of the Covid-19 pandemic highlighted the urgent need for readily available and reliable oxygen for patients suffering from Covid as well as those impacted by cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, along with other ailments, reads a press release. 

To meet patient and hospital needs, Standard Chartered has donated a Pressure Swing Adsorption (PSA) Medical Oxygen Generation Plant to TMC & RCH. 

The oxygen plant’s total installed capacity of 608 litres/minute will meet the needs of approximately 180 patients. 

The newly inaugurated medical oxygen plant is the second of three to be donated to community hospitals around Bangladesh by the Bank and once installed in all three locations, the total oxygen generation potential of the plants will exceed 1700 litres/minute and will serve up to 400 patients per day. 

Naser Ezaz Bijoy, CEO of Standard Chartered Bangladesh; Enamul Huque, managing director, head of Client Coverage, Corporate, Commercial and Institutional Banking, Standard Chartered Bangladesh; Bitopi Das Chowdhury, head of Corporate Affairs, Brand & Marketing, Standard Chartered Bangladesh; Professor Dr Hosne-Ara Begum, founder and executive director, TMSS Medical College and Rafatullah Community Hospital; and AFM Shahinul Islam, executive director, Bangladesh Bank, Bogura Office were present to commemorate the inauguration of the PSA Medical Oxygen Generation Plant at the TMC and RCH premises in Bogura. 

Other attendees included: executives from both organisations, nurses, and doctors. 

Naser Ezaz Bijoy said: “While the need for medical oxygen was felt profoundly during the Covid-19 pandemic, a steady supply of medical oxygen is a necessity for countless ailing individuals at all levels of the healthcare system. This is especially true in rural communities where access to medical care is limited, and resources are scarce. This plant will not only help TMC & RCH in their day-to-day operations, but it will also revolutionise the facility’s ability to face future pandemics and provide best-in-class care. The installation and use of medical oxygen plants in areas like Bogura – where access to such resources was once a pipe dream – is the first step in strengthening the processes needed to empower our nation’s organisations and communities to survive, adapt, and thrive in a world that is constantly evolving. It is a privilege to partner with TMSS Medical College & RCH, which is an extraordinary force for good in the community where it operates.”

Professor Dr Hosne-Ara Begum said: “The scarcity of oxygen during the pandemic created a tremendous challenge, but we continued our humanitarian efforts in service to humanity. Establishing a self-sustained oxygen plant is vital to serving our patients at our 1,000-bed Rafatullah Community Hospital (RCH) and very recently established 250-bed TMSS Cancer Care Center (TCCC) near the RCH premises who have been affected by different viral diseases. In alignment with our goals, Standard Chartered is working towards economic and humanitarian development. The establishment support of an oxygen generator plan in Rafatullah Community Hospital (RCH) funded by Standard Chartered has created a great example for society. We, the management of Rafatullah Community Hospital and members of the TMSS family, are very grateful to Standard Chartered Bangladesh for always standing with humanity.”

Earlier this year, in March, Chittagong Maa-Shishu O General Hospital was the first of three medical facilities to receive the PSA Medical Oxygen Generation Plant from Standard Chartered Bangladesh. 

Via the donation, the bank became the first in the nation to provide a medical facility with access to a steady supply of oxygen. 

The third and final oxygen plant will be handed over to United Trust in Jamalpur later this year.

TMSS Medical College and Rafatullah Community Hospital (TMC & RCH) were established in 1995 in Thengamara village by Professor Dr Hosne-Ara Begum. 

The medical facility was launched with the aim of delivering affordable and accessible health care services to the poor and rural people residing in Northern Bangladesh.