News
Red Cross begins appeal to source protection gear for IDH
Considering the urgent needs for personal protection gear for healthcare workers at the Infectious Diseases Hospital where the majority of coronavirus patients are treated, the Sri Lanka Red Cross Society is appealing for funds to get the gear produced.
The IDH is estimated to need 1,000 personal protection kits (including anti-fog goggles, face shield, gloves, head cover, shoe covers, and medical mask) a day, and is in need of 50,000 urgently as infected numbers of Sri Lankans rise at a rapid clip in many parts of the island.
So far this week, 500 PPE kits have been handed over to the IDH by the Sri Lanka Red Cross. And another 1,000 are being handed over, Dr Siddhartha Nanayakkara, of the Sri Lanka Red Cross Society, told the Sunday Times on Saturday.
The spread and infection of respiratory virus can be reduced by the use of personal protection equipment in health care settings, as well as hygienic measures, including hand hygiene.
Dr Mahesh Gunasekara, the director-general of the Sri Lanka Red Cross, based in London, on Saturday said the kits are for clinical use in hospitals for doctors, nurses, and all healthcare workers.
He said each of the dedicated coronavirus hospitals in Sri Lanka, needs 3,000 kits a day. Seventeen hospitals have been named as of March 13 to admit patients infected with the new coronavirus disease, which first emerged in China and has now ravaged the world causing unprecedented human suffering and decimating economies.
Anyone eager to assist to procure kits for the IDH could deposit funds to an account at Sampath Bank — 0029 3003 2975 Sri Lanka Red Cross Society donation account at Sampath Bank Headquarters in Colombo 2. The SWIFT code is BSAMLKLX.
Those overseas eager to source and ship the materials could direct them to the Sri Lanka Red Cross Society, 106 Dharmapala Mawatha Colombo 7, Sri Lanka.
Dr Nanayakkara said there is no particular model of PPE kit that is needed. There are different models of PPE offering various levels of protection.
In Sri Lanka, the PPE kits for the IDH are being produced by Ansell Sri Lanka, an Australian company and they could manufacture 500 kits a week, Dr Nanayakkara, said.
Ansell, founded by Eric Norman Ansell, first opened a research and development facility in the Biyagama Export Zone in 2013. Among Ansell products are the AlphaTec hand and body protection items. It has grown through global acquisitions. In Sri Lanka, in November 2014, it closed the acquisition of Hands International, a private PPE manufacturer.
Dr Nanayakkara could be contacted at 0773 410 995 or siddhartha.nanayakkara@gmail.com
Dr Mahesh Gunasekara could be contacted at 70 347 1084, or mahesh.gunasekera@redcross.lk
For online donations, follow this link:
https://slredcross.give.asia/campaign/support-our-healthcare-heroes#/