🧾 1. ESSENTIAL CONSUMABLES TO KEEP
READY
🔹 Procedural
- Sterile needles &
syringes (disposable)
- IV cannulas, IV sets
- Sutures (silk, nylon, vicryl)
- Gloves (sterile & non-sterile)
🔹 Dressings
- Sterile gauze, cotton,
bandages
- Plasters, adhesive tapes
- Antiseptics: Povidone-iodine,
Chlorhexidine
🔹 Minor
OT / Emergency
- Drapes, masks, caps
- Surgical blades
- Foley catheters
🔹 Linen
- Sterile drapes
- Towels, bed sheets
📦 2. SAFE STORAGE
(VERY IMPORTANT)
- Store in:
- Closed cupboards (dust-free)
- Dry, cool area (avoid humidity)
- Use:
- FIFO method (First-In-First-Out)
- Keep:
- Sterile & non-sterile
items separate
- Linen:
- Store in clean, covered
containers
🔥 3. STERILIZATION
– EASY & CHEAP METHODS
🟢 BEST
METHODS (RURAL SETUP)
✔ Autoclave
(Gold Standard)
- Steam under pressure
- Kills spores, bacteria, viruses
👉 Use for:
- Instruments
- Linen
- Dressings
✔
Cost: ₹15k–₹50k (one-time)
✔ Most reliable
✔ Boiling
(Emergency Backup)
- 20–30 minutes
👉 For:
- Metal instruments only
❌ Not fully reliable (spores may survive)
✔ Chemical
Disinfection
- Glutaraldehyde (2%)
- Sodium hypochlorite (1%)
👉 For:
- Surfaces
- Non-heat instruments
⚠️ 4. UV BOX – IS
IT ENOUGH?
❌ NO – NOT SUFFICIENT FOR STERILIZATION
👉 UV light:
- Only surface disinfection
- Poor penetration
- Does NOT kill spores reliably
📌 Conclusion:
“UV is an
adjunct, NOT a sterilization method.”
💡 5. MINOR OT
STERILIZATION (LOW-COST MODEL)
✔
Before procedure:
- Clean surfaces with:
- Hypochlorite / chlorhexidine
✔
UV light use:
- Switch ON for 30–60
minutes before OT
👉 Helps reduce airborne microbes
✔
After procedure:
- Floor cleaning + waste disposal
🎯 6. PRACTICAL
MINIMUM STANDARD
👉
- Autoclave for instruments &
linen
- Disposable items wherever
possible
- Chemical disinfection for
surfaces
- UV only as supportive
measure
🧾 ONE-LINE
TAKEAWAY
👉 “Autoclave is essential; UV alone is
inadequate—combine steam sterilization, chemical cleaning, and basic hygiene
for safe rural practice.”
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