Old PPE, masks used for mock-drill and practice—NHAK

Our Correspondent
Kohima, April 16 (EMN): The Naga Hospital Authority Kohima (NHAK) on Thursday clarified reports of sub-standard quality of personal protection equipment (PPE) and mouldy masks being provided to healthcare workers, saying that those equipments were obtained during the H1N1 outbreak of 2009. 

Reports of low quality PPE and mouldy masks in the hospital have attracted public outrage. The reports have prompted the chief secretary to issue an order on April 15 restricting officers, other than those authorised to speak to the media, to speak on matters related to Covid-19 in Nagaland.

Clarifying the issue at a press briefing on Thursday, the public information officer of NHAK, Dr. Sendimeren Aonok said: “This whole thing (PPE, mouldy masks) was actually obtained during the time of H1N1 outbreak (in 2009). That was the time this was obtained and this was given to us recently”.

It is used by medical personnel for mock drill and practice, he added.

On the pictures and videos of mouldy mask doing rounds in social media, the officer said that there is a sort of “black form” present in the mask which was mistaken as a fungus. “Unfortunately, this was shown and it kind of created a false impression for everybody.”

Due to long duration of the masks (since 2007), a small metal present on the mask fell off and exposed the black form, which, was taken as otherwise, he said.

The doctor added that upon providing the hospital’s action plan, the directorate has provided them with ‘old stock’ to use it for mock-drill till the fresh consignments (new) arrive. It was to bridge the gap before new consignments comes as well as to use it for practice, he added.

“There is acute shortage of PPE all over the world, everybody is struggling. So we wanted to be very judicious in our approach and usage,” Dr. Aonok said. If health workers start to use the new PPE for practice purpose, it would be used up, he added.

“The moment the patient comes, we are going to activate the PPE but till that time we are to use the old materials for training purposes,” he said. It was decided to use the old PPE for mock-drill as the government is struggling to get the PPE from Delhi, and it is also ‘very expensive’, he added.

The doctor also spoke about the durability of the PPEs, which he said, is basically to do with sterility. If a doctor is working under infectious environment such as Covid-19, PPE will protect them as they are sterile, he added.