高圧蒸気滅菌器 High Pressure Steam Sterilizer

先日保健省の中にある基盤整備企画部門のデライラという事務官から電話で、ソロモン全土の国立病院と地方のクリニックまで含めて、高圧蒸気滅菌器と簡易焼却炉を配備したいので、製品の資料を集めてくれと依頼がありました

ただ地方のクリニックといえば電気が全くないところもありますので、電気を使わない方式のものも必要になりそうです

高圧蒸気滅菌器とは、とくに金属製の医療用具（ハサミ、ピンセット、メス等）を滅菌するために湯を沸かして発生した蒸気を気密性の高い容器に密閉することで圧力が上がり、150℃以上の高温になって滅菌できるもので、すなわち圧力釜のようなものです

通常は内蔵された電気ヒーターで加温しますが、電気のないところでは使えません

ところが先日病院内の台湾医療センターで灯油を使った圧力釜のようなものを見かけたので、これを見せてもらいに行きました

これはソロモンを訪れた台湾の医師が、地方のクリニックに滅菌装置がない事を知り、帰国してから自分で考案して業者に作らせたものだそうです

まだ最終型ではないそうですが、近日中に新しい改良型が到着する予定だそうです

もちろん私はこれを地方のクリニック用に推薦しようと思いますが、台湾の現実的できめ細かいODAに感心しました

 

One week ago Delilah who was the administrative officer of the Infrastructure Planning of Ministry of Health and Medical Services rang me and asked to collect the information about the high pressure steam sterilizer (autoclave) and incinerator.

They were planning to provide them to all provincial hospitals and rural clinics in Solomon Islands.

However some of the rural clinics don’t have electricity services and I have to consider about also the equipment that can be used without electricity.

The autoclave is designed for sterilizing especially metallic instruments (i.e. scissors, tweezers and blade knives).

Boiling the water in the tightly closed chamber and the steam in the chamber becomes high pressure and the temperature goes up to about 150 degrees.

It is like a pressure cooker.

Generally it has the electric heater and it can be used only under the electricity service.

But few months ago I saw the small autoclave with kerosene stove in Taiwanese Medical Center and I asked them to see it again.

Last year a doctor from Taiwan visited Solomon Island and he visited to the rural clinic and realized that they didn’t have any sterilizing equipment.

After he went back to Taiwan and he designed the small sterilizer without using the electricity and sent the prototype to Solomon Islands.

It is still a prototype but the final model will be arriving soon.

Of course I will recommend this to Delilah and I was impressed with Taiwanese nice and realistical measure for their ODA.