The Uzbekistan Ministry of Health has ordered 120 air handling units for new medical facilities, specified with HEPA filtration and heat recovery to meet the air quality and efficiency needs of hospital environments. The units will equip a spread of healthcare buildings rather than a single site.
Why Hospitals Need a Different AHU
A hospital moves air where the consequence of getting it wrong is infection or compromised care. Operating theatres, isolation rooms, and intensive care need filtered, pressurised air so contaminated air does not drift from dirty to clean zones. An AHU for this duty therefore carries higher-grade filtration than a commercial unit and is laid out so the air paths support the required pressure relationships between rooms, which is the core of infection control.
HEPA filtration, rated to capture the large majority of fine particles at the specified efficiency, is the layer that protects immunocompromised patients and supports sterile procedure areas. Heat recovery matters because hospitals run ventilation continuously and the fresh-air load is large; recovering energy from the exhaust cuts the power needed to condition incoming air without sacrificing the fresh-air volume that patients need.
The order's scale, 120 units, reflects a programme of new facilities rather than a single building, so consistency of performance and delivery across the batch is as important as any single unit's spec. A hospital that opens late because one of 120 units is wrong is still a hospital that opened late, so the batch is the unit of risk.
Different departments need different air: a theatre is not a ward, and an isolation room is not a corridor. The AHU configuration varies by department, but all share the filtration and recovery basis that defines a medical AHU and that the Ministry specified across the programme.
AHU Configuration for Medical Use
The table shows the parameters typical of the hospital specification, the figures that decide whether a unit is fit for a clinical space.
| Item | Specification | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Quantity | 120 units | new medical facilities |
| Filtration | HEPA grade | theatre and isolation |
| Heat recovery | wheel or plate | cuts fresh-air load |
| Airflow | 2,000 to 40,000 m3/h | per unit, sized |
| Pressure | up to 1,000 Pa | filters and ducts |
Because the units feed spaces with different cleanliness needs, the configuration varies by department, but all share the filtration and recovery basis that defines a medical AHU and that the Ministry specified across the programme so no building was left with a lesser standard.
The pressure figure reflects the HEPA stage, which carries more resistance than a comfort filter, so the fan must be sized to the medical duty, not a commercial one, or the air changes per hour fall below what the clinical guideline requires.
Selection Checklist for Medical AHU
Healthcare engineers specifying such units should work through these points, because in a hospital the air is part of the treatment.
- Set the grade: match HEPA and pressure hierarchy to the room's function.
- Confirm recovery: size the heat exchanger for continuous operation, not peak only.
- Plan access: filters must be reachable for safe, frequent change.
- Verify airflow: check the unit meets the department's air changes per hour.
- Document the build: traceability helps commissioning and later audit.
Why the Order Matters
New medical facilities stand or fall on their air systems, because ventilation underpins infection control and patient safety. Supplying 120 consistent, filtered, heat-recovering units supports a national healthcare build-out rather than a one-off install, which is the scale that changes outcomes.
For the institutions, verified performance and a clear service path keep the air systems dependable through years of continuous operation, and a single supplier for the batch means one maintenance regime rather than 120 separate puzzles.
The order also shows that medical-grade air handling is now a specified, certified purchase for the programme, not a generic comfort unit pressed into clinical service, which is the right line to draw in healthcare.
Beyond the unit itself, the hospital programme should verify the pressure cascade once installed, because the AHU only works as part of a room design. A theatre should be positive to its corridor, an isolation room negative to theirs, and the values should be measured and logged at commissioning, not assumed from the spec. The HEPA stage also needs a test to confirm its efficiency at the installed face velocity, since a filter asked to do more than it was sized for slips. For 120 units across many buildings, a consistent commissioning checklist is what turns a good specification into a safe building, and the Ministry's scale makes that discipline more valuable, not less, because one missed room is one patient at risk. A consistent commissioning checklist across all 120 units is what turns a strong specification into safe buildings, and the Ministry's scale makes that discipline more valuable rather than less, because one missed room is one patient exposed.
Keruite engineers respond to selection enquiries within 24 hours, backed by the factory's own performance testing laboratory and more than 30 years of fan manufacturing experience.