Mumbai: 2 OPD Rooms At Sir J J Hospital Coated With Israeli-Developed Antimicrobial Paint

Mumbai: A pair of rooms in the Out Patient Department of Sir J J Group of Hospitals, Byculla, has been painted with Aquanir Active Shield, an acrylic paint proven to destroy 99.99% of bacteria and viruses.

The project, a joint initiative of the Grant Government Medical College, the hospital, and the Consulate General of Israel, was inaugurated on Tuesday by the Israeli Consul General Kobbi Shoshani.

Nirlat, an Israeli paint manufacturer, developed the technology in collaboration with Nanosono, a provider of antimicrobial solutions. Copper and zinc oxides are used to create coatings more cost-effective and longer-lasting than silver-based antimicrobial paints. The technology, developed after 2019, was first used in an Israeli hospital earlier this year.

Two rooms in the medicine OPD have been painted with acrylic emulsion. "The technology is permanently active as long as the paint is on the wall," said Ori Bar Chain, Chief Executive Officer of Nanosono.

The company is now working on creating similar products for metal, wood, fabric, and other surfaces that will also need disinfection in hospitals and other facilities like old-age homes. "This is the first step," said Raj Sangurmath, Chief Technology Officer, Nanosono.

The Maharashtra government decided to test the technology in India and selected the Sir J J Group of Hospitals which is run by the state's health ministry.