University College Hospital, (UCH) Ibadan, as part of measures to protect health workers from COVID-19 and other infectious disease has commenced the production of reusable Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), the first in Nigeria.

Chief Medical Director, University College Hospital, Ibadan, Professor Jesse Otegbayo, unveiling 2000 pieces of the reusable PPE on Tuesday, said the materials were made by the hospital as a response to challenges being faced by increasing cost and scarcity of imported PPE.

According to him, “the hospital intends to make more PPEs, the good thing about it is that we can sterilise it by autoclaving them and then reuse them. It is the first to the best of my knowledge that this is done in Nigeria.

“The cost of PPE has gone up by about a 10000 per cent, and we were not having enough from those who are supporting us like Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, (NCDC) Federal Ministry of Health, Oyo State government and private individuals. We started with making our own customised facemasks and face shields which we launched about 3 months ago.”

The Street Reporters Newspaper gathered that the production of PPE, he said, has opened a new frontier in health care innovation in Nigeria.

Tribune Online reports that Professor Otegbayo noted that just devising a means to live with the virus is not enough, added “our front liners must demonstrate that they can maintain these gowns adequately. They must also be properly deployed in the management of COVID-19 patients.”

It will be recalled that in June 2020, some untailored PPE materials worth millions of Naira were donated to the Hospital by the University of Ibadan MBBS/BDS graduating set of 2000.

These materials which have been tailored into reusable protective gowns are to be deployed in the management of COVID-19 patients.

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