COVID-19: After Masks, Prison Inmates Produce Gowns for Medicos

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM:
After boosting the production of face-masks to ward off COVID-19 pandemic, the tailoring unit at the Central Prison, Poojappura, here has started producing uniforms and gowns for doctors and para medical personnel.

“We have received an order from Sri Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology (SCTIMST) for making uniforms/gowns for their staff. Since they have to treat emergency COVID-19 cases, there is a rise in demand for gowns,” said B. Sunil Kumar, Superintendent, Central Prison, Poojappura.

Giving boost to mask-making by the prison, top actor Indrans, himself a costume designer, visited the jail earlier this week and demonstrated how to make that simple protective device effortlessly. While two prisoners are assigned the stitching of gowns 23 others are engaged in the production of masks. The hospital has placed an urgent order for 500 gowns.

“The material for uniforms, which are cotton and terry cotton fabric, and the model are provided by SCTIMST. So we will be charging only for stitching, that too nominally. We have already supplied a set of 25 uniforms to them, and more are in the making” Kumar said. “Though around 55 jails in the state are producing masks and sanitizers now, stitching of gowns for medical staff is our monopoly,” he added.

In future, if any hospitals come forward with such a request, they will be happy to lap up the opportunity.

Sanitizer, which has huge demand at present, is also being produced at the Central Prison. “We have got 7,000 litre spirit from the Excise Department for producing sanitizers, for which pure spirit has been used. We charge Rs 50 for 100 ml bottle and most of them were purchased by the departments.”

The Superintendent of the prison also informed that the production of all these items will go on at a steady pace.