A hospital has many different spaces, and each one works differently. The requirements of an operating theatre are not the same as those of an ICU, a general passage, an X-ray room or a Cath Lab.
The doors used in these spaces need to reflect those differences too.
Some areas require hermetic sealing to support controlled conditions. Others need doors that make everyday movement easier in busy passages. In spaces where radiation equipment is used, radiation protection becomes another important consideration.
This is why choosing a healthcare door is not simply about how it opens. It starts with understanding the space and what the door needs to do within it.
Think about how movement happens across a hospital. Doctors and nurses need reliable access to critical areas. Patients and equipment move through corridors throughout the day. Operating theatres have controlled environmental requirements, while X-ray rooms and Cath Labs have radiation protection requirements.
One type of door cannot address all of these needs.
Metaflex healthcare solutions include different door systems for critical and general healthcare areas, including hermetically sealed sliding doors, Passage Care doors and solutions designed for radiation protection.
The MAK Health Neo system, which is a CE certified door system, for example, is a hermetically sealed sliding door,designed for critical healthcare environments including operating theatres, ICUs, X-ray rooms, post-operative wards and sterile corridors.
Understanding the difference between these options makes it easier to select a door according to the actual needs of the space.
Sliding doors can be a suitable choice for healthcare areas where smooth access needs to work alongside controlled sealing.
The MAK Health Sliding Door is a hermetically sealed sliding solution designed for areas including operating theatres, ICUs, post-operative rooms and passage areas. Depending on the application, it can be operated manually or automatically.
Another option is the MAK Health Neo Sliding Door, developed for critical healthcare environments. The system is designed to minimise air leakage and help maintain the required pressure differential within operating rooms.
Some of its key specifications include:
This makes sliding healthcare doors relevant for spaces where access, sealing and controlled conditions need to work together.
Not every area within a healthcare facility requires a sliding door. In passage areas and other frequently used spaces, a hinged door may be more suitable depending on the way the space operates.
Metaflex Passage Care Doors are designed for environments where clean air, hygiene and ease of operation in high-traffic areas are important. They are suitable for applications including hospitals and pharmaceutical environments.
They are available in both single-leaf and double-leaf configurations, giving projects flexibility according to the size and movement requirements of the passage.
Different material and finish options are also available, including:
Depending on the selected configuration, options such as vision panels, locks, door closers and automation are also available.
For healthcare facilities, this provides a practical solution for passage areas where hygiene and regular movement are important considerations.
Some healthcare environments have an additional requirement: radiation protection.
Areas such as X-ray rooms, Cath Labs and operating theatres where X-ray equipment is used require door solutions designed for these conditions.
Metaflex offers solutions in both sliding and swing configurations, allowing the opening type to be selected according to the layout and requirements of the space.
The MAK Health Neo Lead Line Sliding Door combines a healthcare sliding door system with lead lining for radiation protection.
The lead-lined HPL variant is available with 1 to 2 mm lead inlay. It also offers Class D air permeability under EN 12207 and forms part of the CE-certified MAK Health Neo range.
Metaflex also offers the MAK Health Lead Line Sliding Door, developed for healthcare areas such as operating theatres with X-ray equipment, Cath Labs and other rooms where radiation shielding is required.
This allows healthcare facilities to combine the movement and access benefits of a sliding configuration with the radiation protection needed for the space.
Radiation protection does not always require a sliding configuration.
Where a hinged opening is more suitable, the MAK Health Lead Line Swing Door provides a swing-door option designed for radiation protection applications.
This gives healthcare projects the flexibility to choose between sliding and swing configurations based on the room layout, access requirements and intended application.
The easiest way to understand these options is to consider what the healthcare space needs.
Sliding doors can be considered for critical areas where smooth movement and controlled sealing are important. This can include operating theatres, ICUs and post-operative spaces.
Swing doors can be used in passage areas where a hinged opening suits the movement and everyday requirements of the space. Passage Care Doors provide one such option, with single- and double-leaf configurations and different materials and finishes available.
Radiation-protected doors are intended for healthcare spaces that require protection from radiation. Depending on the application, these can be configured as sliding or swing doors.
So, rather than asking which type of healthcare door is better, it is more useful to ask which door is right for the particular space.
The selection process becomes easier when the requirements of the space are clear from the beginning.
A few important questions to consider are:
These questions help move the decision away from simply choosing a door type and towards selecting a solution that fits the application.
Healthcare facilities bring together spaces with very different requirements. The door selected for each area needs to work with those requirements.
An operating theatre may need a hermetically sealed sliding system. A frequently used passage may require a hinged Passage Care Door. An X-ray room or Cath Lab may require a solution designed for radiation protection.
Metaflex addresses these different requirements through a healthcare portfolio that includes sliding, Passage Care, radiation-protection and specialised door solutions.
The starting point is simple: understand what the space requires first. From there, the right opening type, sealing performance, operation and protection can be selected accordingly.
8 July 2026
6 July 2026
8 May 2026
