KUALA LUMPUR: Renowned fashion designer Datuk Radzuan Radziwill has taken the task to launch a charity initiative to stitch personal protection equipment (PPE) for the use of nurses and frontline workers in hospitals.
The initiative was driven by sympathy borne out for hospital personnel who had to stitch their own PPE due to its inadequate supply, as they struggled to care for and save Covid-19 patients.
Radzuan said each day he is able to prepare 50 pairs of PPE outer garments daily with the aid of a doctor from the Serdang Hospital following the implementation of the Movement Control Order (MCO).
“My friend provides information on the size, the material and information on the supplier.
"To date, over 200 pairs (of PPE) had been completed and I would like to produce another 1,000 or 2,000 pairs of outer robes and head covers to give it to the personnel who require it.
"I am also hopeful that my other (fashion designer) counterparts or anyone else for that matter could help in sewing the PPE, as I understand that every day at Serdang Hospital and Sungai Buloh Hospital they need 400 pairs, as it is a disposable item," he told BH.
Radzuan, who has produced many fashion designs for VIPs and the well-known, said he had already purchased three rolls of non-woven material stretching to 3,000 meters to be sewn into PPE.
"This material is the same type used by hospital staff, which is made of waterproof material, such as paper and plastic.
“Each day, I produce some 50 pairs of PPE in various sizes from Small to Extra Large.
“I have seen nurses having to stitch their own (PPE) despite them not having sufficient rest, tired from their duties. That task (stitching their own PPE) is something they should not be doing. So, what is wrong if I use my skills and expertise to aid them,” he said.
Radzuan said so far he has not faced any difficulty in purchasing the materials but he is finding it tough to source supply of rubber bands following the closure of many sewing and supply shops as well as movement limitation due to the MCO.
"If only more designers and tailors can work together on this project, I believe more can contribute to frontline workers and ease their difficulty in getting adequate PPE supply.
"After all, the design is simple and not complex. Just to make sure the material is not easily torn. If more people can contribute their skills and expertise, the more hospitals we can help, more so with the MCO still two weeks away (to conclude)," he said.