Gujarat Comes Up With India's First PPE Seam Sealing Machine
In a successful step forward in the fight against the Coronavirus pandemic, Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani launched the first indigenous seam sealing machine, which will help in ramping up manufacturing of PPE kits in India.
The hot air seam sealing machine that India is currently importing from abroad has a higher cost and takes about three to four months to get delivered. The cost of this machine will be 50 per cent lesser than those imported.
What is PPE?
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is a set of gears including goggles, helmet, clothing, and other equipment or essentials designed to protect the wearer from injury or infection. PPE can protect the user from physical, electrical, heat, chemicals, biohazards, and airborne particulate matter hazards. PPE Kits are usually used by professionals or technicians for job-related safety. It is also used by sports persons. It is imperative for doctors to wear the PPE while dealing with Coronavirus infected patients.
PPE Kits in India
Catering to the huge demand of the PPE kits in India, to protect the Corona warriors, the country has become the world's second largest PPE kit producer in just a span of two months. The production of PPE kits in India has spiked up multiple times from 47,000 units per year to 2 lakh units of PPE Kit for Corona per day.
Some of India's popular textile mills like Arvind Mills, 3M, and others with the support of the Textile Ministry have been able to achieve this. All the PPE kit manufacturers send their produce to the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) where each unit undergoes a rigorous quality check.
The DRDO was one of the first to design a special sealant as an alternative to seam sealing tape. The organisation based this sealant on the sealant used in submarine applications.
PPE Kit For Corona
Produced under the guidance of Indian Medical Association (IMA), Rajkot the new seam sealing machine developed in Gujarat will help the PPE kit manufacturers to increase production in India. In the first batch, the company will manufacture 200 units of the machine at a cost of Rs 4 lakh.
Guidelines for Rational Use of PPE Kits
The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in it's circular has urged everybody to use the PPE kits rationally. It has said that it is necessary for the health workers and medical staff to maintain their safety, but has also requested them to use the PPE kits wisely. It has also shared some pointers that are to be kept in mind while using the PPE kits.
- PPE kits cannot be treated as an alternative to basic preventive public health measures like hand sanitisation and respiratory etiquette.
- Maintaining distance from contacts/suspects/confirmed Covid-19 cases is necessary.
- proper protocol for using and disposing of off PPE kits to prevent the spread of infection is important.
India also plans to export PPE kits to neighboring and friendly nations and help them fight the pandemic.