8 Mysuru Division employees manufacture 200 PPE suits under strict quality control

Hubballi/Mysuru:  To supplement healthcare efforts of the Government in its fight against COVID-19, Railway Workshops across the nation including the one in Mysuru have started manufacturing PPEs suits (Personal Protective Equipment) to equip doctors and paramedical staff at Hospitals.

These PPEs are being used by medical personnel working in isolation areas and intensive care units to protect them from acquiring infections from suspected or confirmed COVID patients. Prior to March, 2020, they were not being manufactured in the country. 

Anticipating huge requirement of PPEs arising in the near future, the Government of India made proactive efforts to promote their manufacturing in the country, “Make in India.”

The Coveralls are being manufactured as per the guidelines issued by DRDO (Defence Research and Development Organisation). These Coveralls will serve as a robust line of defence for the doctors, paramedics and other personnel in the frontline. The sample developed by Jagadhri Workshop has been cleared by DRDO, to be confirming to the standards.

The South Western Railway (SWR) has started manufacturing high-quality PPE equipment from Apr. 21 as prescribed by Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. The SWR Workshops at Hubballi and Mysuru have successfully replicated the high-quality PPE suits. 

Till now, Hubballi Workshop has manufactured 450 Coveralls and Mysuru Workshop has manufactured 200 Coverall PPE suits under strict quality control as per the established standards. A total of 20 staff, 12 from Hubballi Workshop and 8 from Mysuru Workshop, have been trained through videos to manufacture these Coveralls.

To further enhance the productions, both the Workshops are gearing up to manufacture a total of 3,900 by end of May 2020. Railways has planned to scale up manufacturing of PPE while adhering to strict quality controls as per the quality standards. 

Material for manufacturing the PPE Coverall was received from Jagadhri, which is near several big textile industries in Punjab. The suit has been made with special fabric approved by the Coimbatore-based South India Textile Organisation, the sole research body in India to test samples of PPE manufactured across the country.

These Coveralls will go a long way in equipping doctors treating COVID-19 victims at Divisional Railway Hospital, Bengaluru, with 50 beds and 6 ICU beds and now converted as exclusive COVID Hospital. Similarly, doctors will also be equipped with Coveralls for treating patients at Divisional Railway Hospital, Mysuru, with 74 beds and at Central Hospital, Hubballi, with 30 beds converted as Isolation Blocks.