Healthcare designs have undergone a sea change in India. The emphasis is on creating healing environments than just functional and stark set ups to dispense treatment. Today, be it an Apollo, a Fortis, a Seven Hills, a Hinduja Surgicals, a Medanta Medicity or Global Hospital, lot of thought and effort have been put into determining the look and feel of these healthcare facilities.
So, while due importance is being given to lighting, flooring, layout, ambience and multitude of other factors while designing a healthcare facility, can paints be ignored? A rhetorical question with an obvious answer. NO! Painting walls and surfaces are nothing new; paints have always been an integral part of décor. But, to believe that they have no other purpose apart from acting as a decorative agent would be a mistake. If chosen with care and consideration, paints seek to serve several purposes of which the two most important are:
Acquiring the right aesthetics and ambiance
 “Choosing the right colour and product is very essential. Especially when it comes to healthcare or hospitals, experts have become extremely careful to make the right choice.”Percy Jijina Sales Director – Decorative, Jotun India |
In a world where impressions are everything, hospitals can no more afford to be the depressing places that they used to be, with their gloomy interiors and peeling walls. Moreover studies have proved that the design and look of a place have a very fundamental role to play as far as a person’s psychological well being is concerned. Hence, it has become imperative to create an atmosphere which is bright yet relaxing and comfortable to put the patients at ease. One of the easiest ways of brightening up a room is to paint its walls and surfaces, provided that the right colours and finishes are chosen. As Percy Jijina, Sales Director-Decorative Jotun India says, “Choosing the right colour and product is very essential. Especially when it comes to healthcare or hospitals, experts have become extremely careful to make the right choice.”
Giving an insight into making the ‘right’ choice, Jijina guides, “The colours that are used inside a hospital vary from area to area. For example, the paint that would be used in an ICU or in an operation theatre will be different from the one used in a nurse station or a maternity ward. The difference in the kind of exterior and interior paint is also planned by the experts.” “When it comes to the choice of the right colour for a hospital, it should be a nice balance of both warm and cool colours. Cool colours tend to be more calming, so shades of blues and the blue-greens put people at ease and a balance of these colours with some warm colours like neutrals, beautiful beiges and wood tones give a nice sense of tranquillity,” he further elaborates.
 “More and more hospitals are getting increasingly aware of the benefits of use of healthy paints. But, awareness in the Tier 2/3 markets is still low.”Sukhpreet Singh VP – Mktg & Sales (Decorative), Kansai Nerolac |
Sukhpreet Singh, Vice President of Marketing & Sales (Decorative), Kansai Nerolac reiterates the same view and says, “A well thought out colour palette can work wonders for a hospital. Colours should be chosen with plenty of deliberation, keeping in mind not only the type of facility, but also the individuals who will be using it.” “A healthcare institute is a place where patients come for treatment and are already facing illness. Bright and lively colours should be used in hospital rooms in order to avoid looking dull, and help reduce the depression of the patients,” he adds.
Similarly, the right paint finish can also determine the look, durability, and ambiance of a room. Some of the common interior paint finishes (paint sheen) are flat, eggshell, satin, semi-gloss, and high-gloss. Each of these finishes serves different purposes. Some of them even help in sound absorption and thus reduce noise levels which help to create a peaceful environment for the patients.
Thus, the role of paints in getting the right look and feel in healthcare set ups is very crucial. They can help create the right ambiance and do their bit in making the healing process faster.
Healing with hygiene
The importance of hygiene and sanitation in healthcare set ups cannot be over emphasised. Yet preserving sanitation and cleaning these places is a herculean task. A lot of effort and resources are needed to keep a hospital spick and span. However, now at least the walls can be easily kept clean and uncontaminated by choosing the right paints.
 “Paints must enhance the feeling of well-being and safety. Paints used in this industry need to be eco-friendly, durable and must possess attributes of hygiene and cleanliness.”Manish Bhatia GM – Mktg. (Decorative Paints), Akzo Nobel India |
“Paints must enhance the feeling of well-being and safety”, says Manish Bhatia, General Manager, Marketing, Decorative Paints, Akzo Nobel India. “Paints used in this industry need to be eco-friendly, durable and must possess attributes of hygiene and cleanliness,” advises Jijina. Singh counsels, “It is imperative that healthcare set-ups use paints that have low-VOC content. Paints with high Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) content can impact the hospital’s indoor air quality and produce tangible health concerns like – headaches, throat irritation, sneezing and eye irritation.” Bhatia also reiterates this view and states, “The paint should be environment friendly and low on VOC. Also, factors such as Optimum Open Time (time taken by the paint to dry), and whether the paint contains toxic material are some of the factors hospital authorities need to keep in mind before selecting paint for their institution.”
Similarly paints with features like washability, stain resistance, high water repellence, dust resistance, anti peel formula etc. are also available in the market. “The property of superior stain resistance and washability keeps the walls hygienic, dirt free and beautiful-looking for longer,” informs Bhatia. Using them in healthcare set ups would ensure that hygiene and sanitation on the walls are maintained without fuss and too much trouble.
Thanks to the evolution of the industry, now paints do not just preserve walls but also actively protect. There are antimicrobial and anti fungal paints available which can supposedly tackle several kinds of bacteria and fungi like MRSA, E.coli and Salmonella, that can cause health problems such as blood poisoning, respiratory and intestinal infections. Choosing these paints for healthcare set ups can be instrumental in tackling a major challenge— hospital acquired infections (HAI).
Features like high crack tolerance, good anti-flame spread, larger wall-coverage, low odour, heat guard, eco-friendly properties etc., are some of the other protective qualities to look for while selecting paints for hospitals and healthcare facilities.
Filling the gaps
 “Paints can contribute immensely to build a healing environment if proper selection of the paint is made with the patients’ psyche in mind.”Brig. Joe Curian CEO, Seven Hills Hospital |
Thus paints can play a major role in delivering effective healthcare and is a vital component of healthcare infrastructure. But, are the healthcare players aware of this? Does the industry understand and give paints the due importance that it deserves while planning healthcare set ups? The answer would be that while paints still rank below technology, lighting etc., gradually the industry is waking up to the advantages of choosing the right paints. Brig Joe Curian, CEO, Seven Hills says, “Paints can contribute immensely to build a healing environment if proper selection of the paint is made with the patients psyche in mind.” He further informs, “The quality and durability of the paint, especially in areas of frequent usage as well as wear and tear is very important. The environment created in the hospital must contribute to a general feeling of well-being and optimism. Hence, colours for different rooms have been chosen taking into account the types of patients who are expected in such areas. Calm and soothing colours are chosen for the interiors of Operation Theatre, Cath Lab, ICU etc. In the wards, the colours chosen were to give a feeling of being energetic, and are relatively brighter. Kid’s areas are a combination of colours of the outdoor, play rooms, birds and animals.”
Architects and designers creating healthcare designs have also become conscientious about choosing the right paints. In an article written for Express Healthcare1, Anirban Das, Chief Architect – Projects & Consultancy Division, Medica Synergie informs, “Colour is typically the first thing we notice when we enter a space. Colour can alter the apparent size and warmth of a space, evoke memories and associations, encourage introversion or extroversion, induce anger or peacefulness, and influence our physiological functioning.”
Thus, the going is good and hence the paint industry sees a lot of growth potential in this sphere. Thus, in a bid to woo the industry and exploit its latent potential each of them have drawn out their own strategies. Singh informs that Kansai Nerolac has a special team that takes care of the hospital and healthcare vertical. He says, “There is still a general lack of awareness about the ill effects of unhealthy and unsafe paints. Building awareness and showcasing the unique benefits of the product is a key task. Demos, presentation tools and international certifications play a key part in marketing a new concept like this.” While Jotun doesn’t have a separate team it offers a service wherein its team not only provides guidance on which type of paint to use but also advice on the colour schemes and themes to be used in various places.
The efforts seem to have paid off and more and more healthcare players are giving more attention to the paints they choose for their hospitals. Agreeing that the healthcare industry has become much more conscientious, Bhatia from Azko Nobel says, “Consumers are becoming more empowered and they want to understand the preventive measures for an improved life. Unhealthy work-life environment, pollution, epidemic, natural disasters, ethical considerations are all increasing the demand for healthcare services. This has led to mushrooming of high-quality health institutions or hospitals with better facilities and an increased awareness about products that enhance the feeling of well-being and safety.” Similar views are expressed by Kansai Nerolac’s Singh, “More and more hospitals are getting increasingly aware of the benefits of use of healthy paints. But, awareness in the Tier II-III markets is still low.” Jotun’s Jijina also informs, “Of late the hospitals and diagnostic centres have also shown interest in procuring the right colour and right kind of paint.”
Thus, despite the various challenges and obstacles that remain, paints have gradually begun to get their due importance in the healthcare infrastructure. The paints industry, expected to touch Rs 50,000 crore2, too has a chance to grow even more by tapping the potential available in this direction and thereby create a win-win situation for both the industries concerned, finally benefitting the most important stakeholder—the end consumer.
References:
1. http://healthcare.financialexpress.com/201109/hospitalinfra04.shtml
2. http://www.indianexpress.com/news/indian-paint-industry-to-touch-rs-50000-cr-mark-by-fy16-ipa/1061405/0
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