As part of the government’s efforts to improve the cleanliness in hospitals, the city government hospitals will soon have different colored bed sheets on different days of the week. It is expected that changing of the bed sheets everyday will ensure better hygiene and infection control in the overcrowded government hospitals.
Despite a government notification stipulating all government hospitals to use new bed-sheets every day, patients and their relatives till now had to either bring their own bed sheets or depend on the dirty and disease-ridden bed sheets provided by the hospital. With the introduction of new bed sheets every day it is expected to give hygiene reassurance and help destroy unwanted bacteria that build up on filthy beds sheets and linen.
Till now, it could not be ascertained whether a bed sheet was changed or not as all of them were in the same colour. But now the introduction of the different colored bed sheets will ensure that they are changed every day.
When contacted, the hospital authorities said that the scheme to provide the patients with bed sheets of seven colours is yet to be implemented as the proposal was sanctioned by the National Health Mission only recently. They added that the scheme will be implemented within the next one month.
E-tenders have been invited from interested parties to build a mechanized central laundry in the city to facilitate the timely supply of clean bed sheets.
Another important area that still needs some attention is the disposal of contaminated material. More than bed sheets and other linen, mops and rags are almost guaranteed to bring bacteria to other parts of the wards. The hospital authorities must explore ways to introduce new techniques of spraying, vacuuming and disposing of contaminants to make sure that bacteria does not spread.