Dumaguete City | Are Private Hospitals Re-using Covid PPE's?

Dumaguete City | Are Private Hospitals Re-using Covid PPE's?

Tyvek suits are disposable, or are they?

I recently took my children to the hospital for their vaccination. And on my way to park my vehicle at the back of the hospital, I noticed that there were Tyvek suits hanged at the hospital’s laundry area. 

Hanged of what seems to be for reuse.

So why I am raising this concern in one of the hospitals here in Dumaguete City?

Tyvek suits are also used in the industry that I work for. Workers wear this kind of protective clothing when dealing with hazardous chemicals. 

And for what I know, Tyvek suits are disposable? 

They are thrown in the garbage bins after each use to dispose of the chemicals that the worker has come in contact with. In the case of medical front liners, the Covid-19 virus they come in contact with. A health practice to make sure that the virus is contained and will not spread. 

I am raising this issue for two reasons.

First, I would presume that they will apply bleach during laundry to kill any virus the suit has. And bleach is a strong chemical. When we apply bleach to the Tyvek suit it can weaken the fabric. And in turn, may result in cracking or holes on the suit. This exposes the hospital personnel to the Covid-19 virus and endangers the people that person comes in contract with.

It’s difficult to maintain a high level of comfort with the nurses, med techs, and doctors if you knew they are wearing reused PPE’s.

Protecting people from the virus involves standard procedure. If the procedure say’s the PPE is disposable, reusing the PPE is equal to breaking the safety procedure. And if this becomes a habit, it can endanger people through the viral spread.

In the machinery industry, Tyvek suits are reused if the grease stains are tolerable in the eyes of the safety supervisor. But this should not be the case for hospitals. For one, we are dealing with a virus that can’t be seen by the naked eye. And most of all, they are at the forefront of defense against Covid-19. They should maintain the highest level of standards in wearing and using medical PPE’s.

The second reason is, patients in isolation are paying daily for each PPE that medical personnel uses. It would be a deceptive unethical practice if they are charging patients with the full amount of the PPE when it turns out to be washed and reused. 

Which I do hope is not the case.

Patients in Covid care are suffering from the disease and the high hospital bill. They at least deserve what they pay for.

Are Tyvek Suits of Medical Frontliners Reusable?

Covid-19 is not something to be taken lightly. Dumaguete City has a bad habit of lowering its guard when it feels like the Covid cases are ceasing. And the City of Gentle People suffered from this habit during the second wave of the Pandemic. During the opening after the major lock-downs, we all hopped inside Tiki Bar and Drank a bottle of beer at Honeycomb. And where did it take us? Covid patients filled the hospitals and reported cases skyrocketed. 

Do we want it to happen again? 

As an ending statement, I hope what went through my head when I saw the hanged Tyvek suits were wrong. And if they were to be reused, at least they will only be worn by personnel working at the receiving area and not in the Covid wards.