JP Immanuel Robert, Assistant Manager & In-Charge, Dept of Laundry, CMC Vellore, who oversees the management of possibly the biggest in-house laundry in any Indian hospital, shared his views on why an in-house laundry is still the best choice for the healthcare setting.
As quoted by our beloved founder Aunt Ida, we strive hard to serve the marginalized and less-privileged without compromising on the quality of treatment. We cater to around 2,200 beds. We have developed our own, huge in-house laundry.
We have no second thoughts about whether to continue with an in-house laundry or to set up a contract with commercial launderers. Every coin has two sides, so there are pros and cons in every set up; how we tackle or minimise the effect of cons in our process is more important.
Merits of in-house laundries:
- Quality Control: To ensure uniform quality of linen.
- One-time investment leading to long-term savings: Lesser weekly operational cost and better linen life which will help us bring down expenses on linen purchase.
- Faster Turnaround: Timely delivery of linen to users can be met with ease. No late deliveries.
- Reduce loss/damaged items: No missing items or mixing up of linen, which can rule out any cross-contamination.
Misconceptions about in-house laundries:
- Need for a large space: There is no need for a huge space at the initial stage. We can expand as and when we grow.
- Need for special training: Most commercial machines are easily customisable and can be operated with minimum knowledge. Manufacturers provide on-the-job training at no extra cost.
I have visited a few commercial laundry setups in South India and most of them handle tons of hospital linen daily. Hence, there is always a chance of cross-contamination and mixing up of linen. If this is not properly sorted out, it can lead to a disaster during the times of the pandemic. There is no way we can compromise on the quality of service we render to our patients.
