Centre bans reuse of single-use medical devices across hospitals; flags recycling of disposables

In a letter dated Oct 16, the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) said it had come to its notice that some private and corporate hospitals were reusing single-use devices after sterilising them, including items used in cardiology, nephrology, oncology, cardiothoracic and vascular surgery (CTVS), neurosurgery and other clinical services. The DGHS said that reuse could expose patients to cross-infection, device malfunction, reduced performance and other complications.