Either find a way or make one seems to be the motto of the district administration when it came to addressing the shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE) for health-care personnel in corona isolation wards in hospitals in the district.
Ranni taluk in Pathanamthitta hit the headlines when five persons from Aythala village tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 on March 8. Officials immediately set up an isolation ward at the Pathanamthitta General Hospital for the patients and those in observation.
However, availability of PPE kits proved to be an issue for the district administration, which managed the situation with the help of Health Minister K.K.Shylaja. The district administration has now drawn up a plan to address the shortage of PPE by exploiting the potential of small-scale industries in the district.
“We have decided to launch a project to make our own PPE kits at an industrial unit, K.K. Enterprises, in Ranni with the assistance of the District Industries Centre,” Ranni MLA Raju Abraham said.
District Collector P.B. Noohu said materials required for the PPE were procured from Ernakulam. “The unit started making samples last week and 400 kits were made in the past four days,” he said.
Cost-effective option
Mr. Abraham said the administration was awaiting clearance from the Health Department for using the kit, which comprises a gown, face mask, and shoe protection covers, in hospitals. Mr. Noohu said the district could become self-reliant in terms of PPE kits once the government approved the kits made here. “A kit made in Ranni costs only ₹200 against the prevailing market price of ₹800,” he said.
The Industries Department was supervising the PPE production process, Mr. Abraham said adding that full-scale production would commence once the product got the government’s clearance.
