Pun distributes PPEs, hospitals begin producing PPEs
By Our Reporter
Chairman of National Innovation Centre Mahabir Pun has begun making personal protective equipment (PPEs) required for health workers during the treatment of coronavirus patients.
Pun, who started manufacturing PPEs since last week, said he would hand over the safety equipment to the government and hospitals free of cost. He further said its manufacturing has started after showing its sample to the chairperson of Nepal Medical Council, Dr. Bhagawan Koirala for quality assurance.
“It costs Rs 1,000 to manufacture a set of PPE”, said Pun.
Six skilled workers have been mobilized in two different areas — Chappalkarkhana and Pepsikola for manufacturing the protective equipment. A worker generally manufactures eight sets a day.
Pun initiated manufacturing the equipment after doctors serving with the Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital, Bir Hospital and BP Koirala Institute of Health Sciences Dharan asked him for the same.
Meanwhile, many hospitals and institutions have started preparing PPEs on their own after the government imported PPEs failed to meet the demand of all health workers across the country.
Hospitals and institutions have taken initiatives to manage PPEs for the safety of health workers after the PPEs given by the government proved insufficient.
The National Innovation Centre (NIC) founded by Mahabir Pun has started to sew PPEs with a target to support the nation in the time of crisis. Pun informed that till Sunday his Centre had distributed 1,200 PPEs to many health institutions as per their demand.
Likewise, Patan Health Science Academy, Lalitpur has started sewing PPEs required for its health workers. Dr. Bishnu Prasad Sharma, director of the hospital, said it had been preparing about five PPEs per day and till now it had prepared about 200 PPEs.
Similarly, Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital (TUTH) has also managed PPEs on its own efforts rather than depending only on the government. Dr Prem Khadka, director of the TUTH, said it had been managing the required PPEs.
Krishna Adhikari, registrar of Nepal Medical Council, said the Council was not the body to examine the quality of the PPEs. He also said that there was no mechanism in Nepal to check the quality of the PPEs.
As the PPEs made in Nepal are not getting approval from the WHO, the doctors suggested not using them by the frontline health workers who are directly in touch with the coronavirus patients.
Along with making PPEs, the National Innovation Centre has been repairing damaged ventilators of different hospitals and keeping them in right condition. According to Pun, they repaired some ventilators of the Trauma Centre and Teaching Hospital. They have received the demands for repaired and new ventilators from many hospitals.
Pun has exhibited an appreciable job, which is an example that we can be self reliant in many medical equipment as well. However, the government, instead of encouraging importing such products from abroad, should encourage Pun like innovative scholars.
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