Enliven for Meditech Textiles

Meditech includes textile materials used in hygiene, health, personal care, surgical applications. The use of Meditech textiles is desirable for a number of reasons like safety, cleaner environment, better hygiene and healthcare, sustainable infrastructure etc. Healthcare and hygiene textile materials are mainly used for protection from infections in hospital environment. They are used either in the operation theatre or in the hospital wards only for hygiene, care and safety of the staff and patients.

Hygiene has become the priority in textiles as they are termed as the ‘second skin’ and are closest to the human body. No wonder why the medical textiles, therefore, are enthusiastically being used and incorporated by various brands into their up-and-coming range of healthcare products, such as:  

• Everyday hospital linen and staff uniform, such as masks and aprons, which have a possibility of spreading infection by coming in direct or indirect contact with patients.
• surgical dressing material which include various types of bandages such as adhesive and non-adhesive, gauge packs, surgical pads and several disposables etc.
• various surgically implantable materials used for repair, replacement or closure such as sutures, vascular grafts, artificial joints and ligaments, supports, etc. 
• extra-corporeal devices such as artificial designing of some vital human organs, which may include kidney, lung, liver, etc. 
• comfortable and snug-fitting baby diapers, incontinence diapers, sanitary napkins etc. using super absorbent polymer, in order to prevent the growth of bacteria and fluid leakage, thus ensuring complete dryness in that region.  

One-of-a-kind initiative undertaken by Joy of Life is “Enliven- a decoction of neem, tulsi & other healing herbs, which are scientifically proven to have anti-microbial, anti-fungal, anti-viral, anti-odour, anti-oxidant, insects & mosquito repellent properties; adding hygiene, skin-fortifying & wellness function to all textile products”. 

The textile products manufactured with this green, herbal, truly sustainable, technology for hygiene function especially take into consideration the needs and requirements of the healthcare industry, where hygiene & safety remains a prime concern. Enliven is non-toxic, 100% herbal, anti-microbial with hygiene & wellness function, without disturbing the growth of healthy bacteria and also minimize the exposure of toxic chemical dyes on our skin as it creates coating of healing herbs on the surface of the textiles, made from renewable & biodegradable healing herbs having minimal impact on mother nature while the end-user enjoys a host of benefits owing to the presence of herbal extracts. 

The main concern behind their introduction, therefore, is the need for health and hygiene in the world of medicine, since both go hand-in-hands. That is precisely where the role of healing herbs, such as neem and tulsi, comes into play. These herbs, since time immemorial, have been known to provide immense health benefits owing to their disease preventing as well as skin-fortifying properties.

On the other hand, the currently prevalent synthetically produced anti-microbial agents or organometallics for hygiene function are considered toxic and unsafe for humankind and the mother earth in the long run.

The Enliven concept of herbal, green technology for textiles makes use of carefully chosen herbal extracts, by infusing and bonding them deep into the fabrics/ textile products, thus increasing their hygiene & wellness quotient. Apart from that, these healthcare fabrics/ textile products also lend to the end user their anti-bacterial, anti-oxidant, anti-fungal and anti-odour properties. Other than eliminating the chances of infection, these offer great comfort and freshness. Being naturally produced, they are extremely durable and have a rather long shelf life. All these benefits together offer great economic value to the users, along with a sense of satisfaction that they are giving something back to the nature. 

Healthcare, as we all know, is one industry which remains one of the largest consumers of fabrics, and the concern for health and hygiene remains a 24X7 priority here.  Enliven for Meditech Textiles, henceforth, has come to become one such ground-breaking technology that can practically be inculcated in almost all kinds of fabrics being used in the healthcare industry. 

Written by: Dr. Sonica Krishan