Karnataka launches AI-driven movable hospitals to contain Covid-19: Here are the main features

The government has so far not specified where the pod hospitals will be placed.

Vevra has tied up with InnoWave Group, a Portugal-based IoT (Internet of Things) firm, to develop the pods. While they require a minimum space of 500 sqft, these pods can be annexed to hospital buildings, parking lots or other open spaces on the hospital premises, the company claimed.

“The pods come in five variants: General pod, ICU pod, doctors stay pod, operation theatre pod, and scanning room pod. Each pod can accommodate four to five beds,” a Vevra representative said.

Explaining the thought behind the project, a company statement read, “The pods project was primarily born as an answer for major medical crises of any form, where the lack of appropriate facilities/infrastructure to receive highly infected patients takes a toll in most hospitals across the nation.”

Major features of the pods, as claimed by the developers, include:

– An antechamber airlock room to provide a safe area for healthcare professionals to don and doff gear, and to store medical supplies.

– Controls quantity and quality of the air being circulated in and out of the room with a minimum of 12 air changes per hour through HEPA filters, UVC lights, and a high-end exhaust system.

-PLC-integrated air conditioning system expected to help in maintaining the temperature, humidity within.

-Fire resistance structure, anti-bacterial wall, and bacterial and chemical resistance flooring used.

-Attached toilets and shower cubicles with UVC lights.

-Provision for oxygen supply, analyser as per guidelines.

-Integrated with a device to monitor oxygen supply pressure.

-Device embedded to measure the oxygen concentration delivered by ventilators or breathing systems along with a failure alarm system.

-Fitted with RO water purifier, geyser in the shower area, 500-litre water storage tank along with mobile sewage treatment plant.

-Fire alarm, extinguisher and emergency system with safe evacuation plan

-CCTV surveillance and television provided for each patient

-Advanced nurse call system and code blue system.

-Pods allow natural light to enter. Expected to uplift the mood of the patients and to promote faster recovery and their general well-being.

The company added that the pods are re-usable after the Covid-19 pandemic, with 15 to 20 years’ structural warranty. “While the entry and exit is RFID (radio frequency identification)-controlled, the pods also monitor environmental conditions, air quality, medical equipment, oxygen supply, and HVAC conditions,” an official explained.