Commentary/Letter to the Editor of the Global Clinical Engineering Journal

Abstract

Dear Editor,
 It is clear that potential COVID pandemics will be recurring events and the use of PPE is basic and vital. Everyone will need such simple devices to protect themselves and others. The consequence of no PPE protection could be disastrous for global health! 
 Stockpiling PPE is not for everyone. Healthcare facilities in low resources countries have limited PPE supplies. Furthermore, transportation and distribution across the country are problems, particularly in rural areas. Home-made PPE is the most practical solution but this needs effective global efforts to educate and guide global populations. 
 In the past 3 months, the IFMBE/CED, in collaboration with WHO and different professionals, has conducted an excellent series of webinars to inform the world about medical devices in combating the Covid-19 pandemic bringing invaluable information for global healthcare. We wonder if IFMBE/CED would pioneer another important initiative to advocate, and together with WHO, to co-ordinate the resources from different organizations and individual professionals to compose a manual on home-made PPE’s with basic knowledge on cleaning and sterilization so that laypersons can make PPE to protect themselves and others. A highly successful public health education publication “Where there is no doctors” [1] is an example.
 Preventing SARS and other flu disease is a global problem currently relies mainly on isolated and scattered national solutions. It is urgent that international organizations such as IFMBE and WHO provide trusted advice to countries worldwide to create a global protection-sensitive culture against pandemics.