There are churches and individuals who spend hours cutting or tearing sheets, rolling them into rolls, putting them into a box and then sending them to us to use at the hospital. It might seem strange to some, why would a hospital need rolled sheets - well we call them Rolled Bandages and they have 1000 uses. They are kind of like duct tape - good for just about anything in a mission hospital
Our hospital supplies come from the PNG government, from donations from the US and then some we purchase. We are always short of tape and dressing material - gauze or bandages. With rolled bandages, our lack of tape or dressing material is not hardly noticed. You put a little bit of gauze over a wound and then you wrap it up with the rolled bandage and you have a great dressing. If we had to purchase as much tape or dressing material as we would use if we didn't have rolled bandages - we would be in trouble. What are some of the 1000 uses for rolled bandages - to wrap up burns, to wrap up lacerations, to be used as a sling if someone breaks their arm, to hold IVs in place, to help keep NG tubes in places, or foley bags near the bedside, to wrap up abscesses after an I&D, to wrap up any sort of abrasion/cut, to help keep a splint in place if they don't need a full cast yet, to hold patients leg's in place while doing repairs after birth and they are under Ketamine, for gauze, and much much more.
Our hospital couldn't keep running if we didn't have rolled bandages, we really couldn't. So if you ever wonder what you can do with an old sheet - check out this link which can explain how to make them into something useful for us - http://nazarenehospitalfoundation.org/rolled-bandages/
