Portable hospital units to treat COVID-19 patients started in Kerala-July 18, 2020
‘MediCAB’ comprises separate rooms for doctor, isolation, medical room and as many as 15 beds, besides an ICU and has already been deployed in Wayanad District of Kerala
Indian Institute of Technology Madras-incubated start-up, Modulus Housing has developed a portable hospital unit that can be installed anywhere within two hours by four people.
Called ‘MediCAB,’ it is a decentralized approach to detect, screen, identify, isolate and treat COVID-19 patients in their local communities through these portable microstructures.
‘MediCAB’ has been launched recently in Wayanad District of Kerala where the units are being deployed to treat COVID-19 Patients. The startup is developing micro-hospitals that can be deployed rapidly across the nation. The Medicab is foldable and is composed of four zones – a doctor’s room, an isolation room, a medical room/ward and a twin-bed ICU, maintained at negative pressure.
This deployment in Kerala has been undertaken with grant funds from Habitat for Humanity’s Terwilliger Center for Innovation in Shelter. The startup collaborated with Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology (SCTIMST) who provided inputs on the certifications and customizations necessary for the project.
Founded by two IIT alumni in 2018, Modulus Housing was supported by IIT Madras Incubation Cell and has a vision to revolutionise housing through modular prefab structures. They have re-purposed their designs to support the fight against COVID-19.
Bill Gates meets Health Minister, describes India as a global innovator
Bill Gates, in a meeting with Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, said that the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the government of India are working with the private sector to come up with a cost-effective therapy for sickle cell anemia for the whole world.
He further said, “The foundation has been privileged to have a strong partnership with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, working on a range of health priorities, including maternal and child health, anemia, infectious diseases, including vaccine-preventable diseases, digital health and other areas.”
India offered support to more than 150 countries in the form of providing COVID-19 vaccines, Bill Bates said. “India was also a very big source of Covid vaccines for the world, and the foundation also partnered with Indian companies in this effort,” Bill Gates said.
Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates tweets, "It was great to see digital health innovations like the Arogya Maitri Disaster Management Cube-BHISHM and discuss our shared commitment to leverage Indian research and technology to eliminate TB, sickle cell, and maternal anemia with Dr… pic.twitter.com/qsX7HMhyTf
— ANI (@ANI) February 29, 2024
“During India’s G20, the Government of India shared with the world all the digital innovations that India has pioneered, including in digital health, and the Global Initiative for Digital Health is well set up to share India’s lessons with other countries.” He said.
“It was great to see the innovative thought that has gone into the Bhishm Cube, which brings together a range of important health solutions in a convenient form factor that lends itself to use in different settings across the world. Our foundation is interested in applications of this approach to helping solve critical problems related to maternal and child health and this solution could be important not just for India but also for the world,” he said on the BHISHM Argoya Maitri Cube.
He further mentioned the potential of Indian companies in diagnostics. “I am convinced Indian innovation will play an even bigger role in helping solve global health issues in the future. I met with some innovative companies in the field of diagnostics earlier on my trip and I think there is a lot of potential for Indian solutions to be a game-changer for important public health priorities, especially TB. A low-cost, reliable TB diagnostic would be essential for India to reach its TB control and elimination goals.”
Ref: https://www.healthcareradius.in/projects/26604-portable-hospital-units-to-treat-covid-19-patients
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation working on portable ultrasound machines for women: CEO
Mark Suzman, CEO of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, said, “We have an interesting AI diagnostic tool that you can use with basically a cell phone and a handheld device to do an ultrasound on pregnant mothers, that will help you show at-risk children and at-risk births, high-risk pregnancies, and help them get the treatment they need.”
“There are a lot of those areas we’re very excited by and investing in right now,” he said These portable ultrasound machines are useful in rural areas.
The letter issued by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is also focused on climate.
Ref: https://aninews.in/news/national/general-news/bill-and-melinda-gates-foundation-working-on-portable-ultrasound-machines-for-women-ceo20240127220014/
Bill Gates gives a thumbs up to Union Health Ministry’s BHISHM portable hospital project – March 02, 2024
The world’s first portable disaster hospital, a complete “Made in India” offering – the BHISHM ‘Arogya Maitri Health Cube’ – was presented to Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, earlier this week who appreciated the initiative. Attempts are being made at collaborating with Bill Gates’ foundation to popularise the offering, Health Ministry officials in the know said.
While India has not received any commercial orders for the portable hospital kit, the country is already supplying the BHISHM Cube to neighbouring nations like Sri Lanka, Myanmar and Bangladesh, sources said.
In a post on micro-blogging site X, Bill Gates said, his foundation would look at opportunities for continued partnership with the Union Health Ministry.
“It was great to see digital health innovations like the Arogya Maitri Disaster Management Cube-BHISHM and discuss our shared commitment to leverage Indian research and technology to eliminate TB, sickle cell, and maternal anemia with Mansukh Mandaviya,” he wrote.
BHISHM Portable Hospital
Arogya Maitri Cube is a completely made-in-India and each cube cage has three frames. Each of the frames accomodates 12 mini cubes. So one cage (or cube) can fit in 36 mini cubes, with each have structural elements like spinal boards, OT tables and an air evacuation kit.
Mini cubes are durable and water-proof and are designed to open “in different configurations”. They can be carried by a single person – a messenger bag, as a strolley or as a briefcase – or even transported through drone. The cubes also come in ergonomic design as per size and human weight carrying capacity.
According to to senior Health Ministry officials, each mini cube is packed with functional kits to cater to specific medical function and specifically relevant to the requirement in a disaster or conflict or war scenario. Some of the kits that can be packed include pain and anti-biotic kits, shock kits, chest injury kits, airway kits, bleeding kits, among others.
The complete health cube takes some 12-odd minutes to set up.
There are two Master Cubes too. The first master cube has a cooking station (self sustainable for 48 hours for 100-odd survivors, and a survivor aid station; while the second master cube has an advance surgical station – which include having an on-field OT station and items than can carry out 10-15 basic surgeries per day.
The system also integrates AI and data analytics.
In a post on micro-blogging site X (formerly Twitter), Union Health Minister, Dr Mansukh Mandaviya wrote about meeting Bill Gates and sharing insights. “We discussed a wide range of subjects related to healthcare including the promotion of digital health, affordable diagnostics, etc. He also observed & appreciated India’s BHISHM Cube initiative, an indigenous mobile hospital,” the Minister wrote.
#WATCH | Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates meets Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya in Delhi. pic.twitter.com/tm7sahAPpn
— ANI (@ANI) February 28, 2024
Source: Inshort, Youtube, ANI, Twitter
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