Tailored
to suit urgent need
10 Apr 2020
ALOR SETAR: They have had to deal with their own health battles.
Now, 36 cancer survivors have got together to sew about 10,000 pieces of
personal protective equipment (PPE) to contribute to hospitals, health clinics
and groups.
“To us cancer survivors, we have spent a lot of time at the
hospitals, which are like our second home.
“The doctors, nurses and staff there are familiar with us and
they are like our friends, ” said Zuraini Kamal, 51, who beat endometrial
cancer.
“So when we saw them working amid the virus outbreak, we wanted
to help them, hence the idea to sew PPE suits to protect them, ” said Zuraini,
who is Cancer Survivors Malaysia (CSM) president and founder.
The PPE suits and head covers made from non-woven material were
completed within 10 days by members of CSM, a registered association for cancer
survivors.
Zuraini said they had cut up and sewn the PPE suits and head
covers entirely from scratch using 6,400m of non-woven material.
“We have two centralised locations for cutting and four
locations for sewing, with six members at each location to do the work.
“Our cutting was done at centres in Alor Setar and Jitra, and
the cut-up fabric was then sent to members at the centres in Alor Setar, Kuala
Kedah, Jitra and Pokok Sena for sewing.
“As of April 7, we have sent hundreds of suits and head covers
to various hospitals, ” she said when contacted.
She said the PPE suits and head covers were sent to the Sultanah
Bahiyah Hospital, Kangar Hospital, Kulim Hospital, health clinics in the state
and the Malaysia Red Crescent Society Penang.
“All the PPE suits were made using materials bought with funds
chipped in by the members and public, ” she said.
Zuraini said the idea came about when many CSM members realised
that medical frontliners were running short of PPE.
Many CSM members, she said, were familiar with tailoring work.
“With that purpose in mind, we started an initiative with
members who volunteered their tailoring skills and started putting together a
team to create PPE suits and head covers.
“We started the initiative on March 29, and will continue to
make the suits as long as we receive enough materials to make them. We have
over 24,000 members in CSM and as far as I am aware, other members in
Terengganu and Putrajaya are putting in similar efforts.
“So we hope that the public can help by sending us non-woven
materials so that we can make more PPE suits and head covers to help our
medical frontliners, ” she said.
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