Amcor is donating one million of its Ultra and Bop sterilisation pouches to hospitals in Bulgaria, Romania, and Ukraine.
Through the company's global Covid-19 Community Program, Amcor said it seeks opportunities to donate products it makes. Examples include bottles for hand sanitiser and medicine, and adapting its manufacturing to produce masks.
As part of that program, Amcor is collaborating with a sterilisation organisation to provide sterile barrier pouches to hospitals in need.
Healthcare systems around the world are being put under unprecedented strain by the devastating impact of Covid-19.
Amcor has been collaborating with the World Federation for Hospital Sterilization Sciences (WFHSS) to identify countries who would benefit from support. Dr. Christine Denis, President of the WFHSS, said the donation would provide vital supplies to her colleagues working in hospital sterilisation departments as they support frontline services.
Both Ultra and Bop pouches are routinely used by hospitals to reprocess reusable medical devices and to keep them sterile right to the point of use. The tough Ultra pouch is suitable for both steam and vaporised hydrogen peroxide sterilisation.
The aim of this donation, Amcor said, is to help alleviate this situation and assist hospitals in meeting heightened demand for sterilised medical equipment.
Ultra and Bop pouches also enable hospitals to re-sterilise their personal protective equipment, for example masks and gowns which are in low supply due to the demand created by the pandemic.
Amcor is working closely with the WFHSS and local organisations to dispatch this donation by July. The company said it is very grateful to all the associations involved, namely the Bulgarian Association for Prevention and Infection Control (BAPIC BulNoso), the Ukrainian Association for Sterilization & Disinfection (UAS&D), and the Romanian Association for Prevention and Control of Infections (APCI).
