Okaz/Saudi Gazette

MADINAH — Amani Mansour Al-Muhammadi, a Saudi nurse, did not sit idly as she saw a huge increase in demand for a protective face shield, which is one of the items of the personal protective equipment (PPE) and an effective weapon in the fight against coronavirus. Rather, she is determined to spend her free time fully to design and manufacture this product at her home with materials purchased from stationary and other shops.

Amani is a nursing staff at one of Madinah’s Tatman clinics that have been set up by the Ministry of Health to carry out medical screening of suspected coronavirus inspection cases. She found that there is a huge demand for face shields for health practitioners to protect themselves from flying mist while examining suspected cases or dealing directly with confirmed coronavirus cases in hospitals.

The face shield aims to protect the wearer’s entire or part of the face from hazards such as flying objects, chemical splashes, or potentially infectious materials. It guards health practitioners against mucous membranes of the eyes, nose, and mouth during patient-care procedures and activities that carry the risk of generating splashes of blood, body fluids, excretions, or secretions.

Meanwhile, the management of King Fahd General Hospital in Madinah approved Amani’s design and product after she presented it to the officials. The executive director of the hospital said that the administration is fully prepared to adopt this design and decided to manufacture 1,000 pieces, in cooperation with the hospital’s community participation department and quality and safety department for patients, after ensuring all the quality and safety standards are met before its use.