Global Health Nursing & Midwifery
Want to find suitable clinic or hospital to place an efficient wood (biomass)fueled autoclave.
To whom it may concern,
I work for a small nonprofit organization in the U.S. that specializes in the testing and designing of improved cook stoves called the Aprovecho Research Center.
Recently we developed a curious pairing of a pressure cooker style sterilizer (or autoclave) and one of our Institutional 60 liter biomass cook stoves.
The result is a highly efficient and durable sterilizing system fueled by wood or alternative biomass fuels (briquettes of one sort or another). The entire sterilization cycle takes less than 50 minutes and uses less than 900g of fuel.
My reason for posting this here is to get your help finding the appropriate clinics wherein we may conduct 3 pilot placements.
From what I can gather, sterilization logistics in the field are often achieved with heat or electricity fueled with petroleum products. This would be in areas where solar is too expensive to implement or state provided power is nonexistent and /or intermittent. I also understand sterilization occurs through chemical baths in many areas as well. Because this stove is so efficient it can operate in fuel poor regions effectively.
200 of the Aprovecho designed Institutional Stoves have recently been delivered to the World Food Program’s IDP camps in Darfur.
We think this could be a valuable tool for the right hospital or clinic as it could also be used to cook meals for patients.
We would like to find three appropriate locations worldwide; install and train cooks / technicians on the system (it is all very simple) and develop usage protocols in the field.
These would be funded stateside and donated to the clinic.
Please help me find the appropriate clinics that will most benefit from these pilots.
I would also like to hear your opinions on whether this is an important idea to pursue. At this point, we are proceeding as if it is, but we really have no experience in this field. As a tool, we are sure it works (very well), but is there a need for it?
If you contact me personally I will send you photos and lab test, usage protocols, etc.
Contact me here or at or call 011+44+206.660.3326
Our website: http://www.aprovecho.org/lab/index.php
Sincerely,
Jordan Kowalke
The Aprovecho Research Center
http://www.aprovecho.org/lab/index.php
206.660.3326
Attached resource:
Matilda Bannerman Wulff
Dear Jordan,
Thanks for this useful information. Please I am a Ghanaian Midwife with a Maternity Home. I live in Kasoa where electricity is very intermittent. I also have other colleagues who can also benefit. May I plead with you to support us with this for a pilot which will very much help with infection prevention. Thanks and very eager to hear from you for more details. Thanks and God bless you in advance.
7:26 PM, 27 May 2011 | Permalink
Jordan Kowalke
Matilda,
Please send me your email address and I will send you more information. We will be sending out a questionnaire in a the next few weeks that will help us decide where the pilots occur. What method of sterilization do you currently use at your maternity home?
10:57 AM, 4 Jun 2011 | Permalink
Agatha Bula
Hi
She has an electrict sterlilizer and most of the times we can stay for some
hours without electricity and she uses firewood to cook the porridge to feed
malnourished children. My email address is
Agatha Kapatuka Bula, MPH, MSC, RGN/M
MPhil/PHD Student, Midwifery
School of Community and Health Sciences
City University London
Alexandra Building
Philpot Street
London, E1 2EA
Mobile: +00447826814718
Email: ,
3:29 PM, 4 Jun 2011 | Permalink
Paolo Narcisi
hello, I am a doctor and a member of an Italian NGO (Rainbow for Africa ,
www.rainbow4africa.org) with a mission in Burkina, Senegal and Sierra Leone
. I am very interested in a sustainable system for sterilization. Often we
are without electricity or surges in voltage creates problems for the
autoclaves with electronic cards. if you can send mail to other information
. thanks
Paolo Narcisi, MD
--
Paolo Narcisi, MD
President of Rainbow for Africa ONLUS
Senior Staff Critical Care Unit - Emergency Dpt.
C.T.O. ORTHOPAEDIC HOSPITAL AND TRAUMA CENTER
+390116933444-5-6 - Via Zuretti 29 - 10100 Torino Italy
Mobile +393472777029
Skype : kalahari2003
web : www.rainbow4africa.org
*Con il tuo 5 x 1000 sostieni i nostri progetti in Africa!*
*basta la tua firma *e il codice fiscale di R@inbow: *977 1108 0016*
*oppure puoi aiutarci con una donazione sul CC Intesa San Paolo con questo*
* IBAN IT29L0306909219100000063514*
indicando nella causale "donazione a Rainbow for Africa ONLUS"
**
4:06 PM, 4 Jun 2011 | Permalink
Sandeep Saluja
May I please express a small concern?Wherever we work in the community,we wish to work holistically for their welfare.Medicine is an important and integral component but definitely not the only one.Environment conservation is an equally important issue and we emphasize that wood should not be used as a fuel.Let us therefore look at other options like solar energy and encourage development of solar powered devices for our work in remote areas.
6:24 PM, 4 Jun 2011 | Permalink
Matilda Bannerman Wulff
Dear Jordan.
Please my email: . Thanks
6:46 PM, 6 Jun 2011 | Permalink
Laxmi Tamang
Dear Jordan,
Good initiative. But I have the same concern as Sandeep. I'm from Nepal we've the same problem as Matilda but I'm not in favour of wood fueled autoclave. It would be better to have solar powered autoclave. We've to preserve our environment please consider. It is crucial for the sustainability of the initiative as well.
2:45 AM, 12 Jun 2011 | Permalink
Jordan Kowalke
Sustainability is an important concern for us as well.
It is a reason that we are working on our own version of a briquette press which can make fuel out of otherwise unused(paper/garbage) or plentiful(agricultural wastes) available biomass.
This stove requires very little fuel to cook or sterilize so it can be a viable alternative, even in fuel poor regions.
Especially if it means successful sufficient sterilization.
It only requires 850 grams of fuel to complete the cycle from a cold start in this process. If the ensemble is hot it requires 20% less.
Perhaps the use of trees as fuel in your region is not a wise choice. When dealing with sterilization, however, you must be certain of your hold times and temperatures and solar powered autoclaves pose many problems in these areas.
4:04 PM, 12 Jun 2011 | Permalink