A new cleaning device is being tested at Turku University Hospital (Tyks). It is Uve, Finland’s first UV (ultraviolet) disinfection robot, a device of 80,000 euros, which the facility received as a donation from the EU.
Administrative Director of Tyksin Hospital Hygiene Unit, Tiina Kurvinen, said he welcomed EU donations.
"Patient rooms have a lot of surfaces that are touched a lot. Even cleaning the bed is quite challenging. You can’t get to all corners very easily, even with a cleaning cloth," Kurvinen explained.
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The first UV disinfection robot was developed in Denmark about six years ago. Inspired and fueled by the Covid-19 pandemic, the EU is donating 200 devices across Europe.
Mika Kujala, CEO of Fine Medical, an importer of hospital equipment, said UVC robots could play an important role in fighting nosocomial bacteria even after the Covid crisis.
Type C ultraviolet radiation
UVC radiation has been used for decades to disinfect air, water and porous surfaces.
"According to researches [UVC] cleans up to 99.99 percent of viruses and pathogens. UVC light is artificially produced by fluorescent tubes. Light has a certain wavelength that breaks down the bacterial DNA structure and is deadly to it," Kujala explained.
Despite the fact that the device has a large price tag of 80,000 euros, according to Kujala, the device pays for itself quickly.
Many other staff are also getting to know the new robot. One of the first rules is to keep away from rooms that the device cleans, as UVC light is harmful to humans and animals.
Not a substitute for practical cleaning
"If you are exposed to light, it will feel like bright sunshine. Your eyes start to hurt," Kujala said.
According to UVD Robots, the device manufacturer, the device can disinfect a 25 square meter room in about 10 minutes.
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Kurvinen, the head of the hygiene unit, emphasized that the manual cleaning of the hospital is not endangered by Uvi, as the device is only intended as part of the cleaning equipment of the maintenance team.
"The cleanliness of the surfaces of the rooms and the air plays a really important role when we have patients who need insulation in the hospital on a daily basis. It is important that we can be sure that the surfaces are clean when one patient moves out and a new patient is admitted," Kurvinen said.
Experiments with similar devices are expected to begin later in hospitals in Vaasa and Espoo.
Source: The Nordic Page