Maharashtra launches mechanised linen laundry in 593 govt hospitals

Maharashtra government on Wednesday inaugurated a statewide mechanised laundry service for 593 government hospitals officials saidThe new mechanised linen laundry service was launched by state Health and Family Welfare Minister Prakash Abitkar at Arogya Bhavan in MumbaiThe service aimed at improving cleanliness safety and sterilisation in public health facilities will be rolled out across 593 health institutions in the state These include 20 district hospitals 8 general hospitals 105 subdistrict hospitals 378 rural hospitals 22 womenrsquos hospitals and 60 trauma care units together accounting for 29315 bedsldquoThis initiative will raise the standards of patient care by ensuring access to clean infectionfree linen across our hospitalsrdquo said Minister AbitkarldquoMaharashtrarsquos public health services are already performing well and with this service we are taking another step forward in hospital discipline hygiene and quality of carerdquoAbitkar expressed confidence that Maharashtrarsquos model would serve as a benchmark for other statesldquoThe rest of the country will now look to Maharashtra Other states will soon ask lsquoWhen will our hospitals get mechanised linen laundry services like in Maharashtrarsquordquo he addedThe service will utilise barrier washing technology allowing for the completely mechanised and sterilised cleaning of hospital linens such as bed sheets blankets pillow covers patient and staff uniforms towels and curtains This hightech process minimises human intervention ensuring hygienic handling and reducing the chances of contaminationTo further improve infection control and maintain operational consistency the government is introducing a colourcoded bed sheet system across all participating hospitals Under this system white bed sheets will be used on Mondays and Thursdays green on Tuesdays and Fridays and pink on Wednesdays and Saturdays This approach is designed to enhance hygiene protocols and help staff easily manage laundry rotationThe project is being carried out through outsourced private agencies which will oversee the entire laundry process from collection and sorting to washing sterilisation and distribution All these steps will be executed through fully automated systems eliminating manual handling and ensuring strict adherence to quality standardsAccording to health officials the service will ensure a consistent supply of clean safe and sterile linen to hospitals across the state significantly reducing the risk of hospitalacquired infections and improving the overall quality of patient careThe launch event was attended by Dr Kadambari Balkawade Commissioner of Health Services along with senior officials from the Health Department Minister of State for Public Health Meghana SakoreBordikar Health Secretary Virendra Singh and medical officers from various government hospitals also participated in the event virtuallyOfficials underscored that this initiative reflects the statersquos strong focus on enhancing public health infrastructure and its ongoing commitment to providing highquality patientcentric care across Maharashtra