1. Product Description: Surgical dressing is an essential material used in health care institutions, and it includes different types of products which are manufactured from white bleached cotton gauge cloth of suitable quality. The products are used for covering wounds, burns to prevent added infection, enhance the building of delicate tissues by protecting the wound from further injury during healing, absorb excretion from the wound.
2. Rationale:- All the raw materials used in the manufacture of surgical dressing are found in our country. But the country does not produce surgical dressing. On the other hand, surgical dressings are among the essential items that the country needs like medicines and other pharmaceutical products. If the raw materials are found in the country and if the product is essential not as a consumer item but as a health care item, there is no reason why this product can not be produced in the country. The Amhara region has the raw material for making surgical dressings and it could produce those products.
3. Market Potential: One can imagine the quantity of surgical dressing being consumed in all health care institutions in the country every year. It is a large quantity indeed. If a fraction of this quantity is produced in one plant, the plant can be a viable plant financially and technically. The essence of this project idea is import substitution and it is by establishing such plants that the country can become self-sufficient in such critical items as surgical dressings.
4. Source of Raw Materials: The main raw materials are lint cotton and cotton fabrics both of which can be obtained from domestic sources.
5. Production Process & Technology: The main processing stages include opening and cleaning of the raw material, pickling and lapping, kiering, bleaching and washing, carding, sterilization and packaging. For surgical bandages, the main machinery and equipment include cloth winding machine, bandage compressing machine, boiler and sterilizer. For surgical cotton about 15 types of machinery and equipment are needed.
6. Estimated Investment: For a production capacity of 90 tons and 800,000 rolls per year, a 300 m2 building will be required. Investment for building will be Birr 750,000 (at Birr 2500/m2). Plant and machinery will be Birr 250,000. Total Investment = Birr 1,000,000.
7. Benefits: Facilitates health services in the country, saves foreign exchange resource, conserve financial resources of the Region, and introduces new technology and skills.
8. Location: Gondar