COVID-19: Gujarat-based company develops reusable PPE kit
Vadodara-based company, Sure Safety, has developed a reusable personal protective equipment (PPE) kit to fight COVID-19.
Managing director of the company Nishith Dand told THE WEEK that the kits would not only be useful in ensuring the safety of the medical professionals, but will also mitigate the challenge of the biomedical waste generated by the kits that are currently available.
Sure Safety, which, in the past, provided reusable kits to other countries, has made the kits it user-friendly for the medical professionals, and the decontamination process too has been made simpler. Breathing air quality equipment has been added in it, making it convenient for use even when the air quality is poor, Dand said.
The company can produce 50,000 pieces a month and is planning to double the production if required. It is awaiting necessary mandate from the government.
The reusable PPE kits (a set of 10) comes with a decontamination chamber and the one-time cost of installation, including piping, is about Rs 25 lakh to Rs 30 lakh. In case additional reusable PPE kits are to be purchased, it costs around Rs 10,000 to Rs 15,000, Dand said. The disposable kit costs around Rs 2,000.
The reusable PPE kits are made up of multi-laminated fibre, anti-static materials and exhalation valves, according to Dand.
He observed that such suits can be of great use as India and the world have been witnessing disasters and pandemics every two to three years. He cited examples of bird flu, SARS, Ebola and Zika virus apart from COVID-19.
Sure Safety, which has so far delivered 60,000 disposable kits to the Union health ministry, had delivered India's first space suit to ISRO in 2015.
