Under the new digital initiative of the BMC, civic hospitals are set to get bluetooth-enabled stethoscopes, robotic prosthetic hands and quick screening tools to identify pre-diabetic patients. The civic body also plans to rope in more innovative start-up companies to give a boost to healthcare. “Considering the technology evolution, it is imperative that we include these in the healthcare system for early diagnosis and to provide a better quality of life to patients. This is a first-of-its-kind initiative taken by BMC,” said Dr Neelam Andrade, director of major civic hospitals, the four tertiary care hospitals. Pilot projects have already started in B Y L Nair hospital and Sion hospital, said officials. The pilot projects are being executed by the Society for Mumbai Incubation Lab to Entrepreneurship Council (SMILE) - the CivicTech incubation centre of the BMC. With diabetes turning into one of the biggest health concerns in Mumbai, BMC has tied up with Bengaluru-based Ayati Devices, which has developed an unique peripheral neurotherapy screener device called Vibrasense for early screening of patients in the pre-diabetic phase to prevent a scenario of foot amputation. “The wireless and portable peripheral neuropathy screener that provides better accuracy and efficiency with an ergonomic design, can screen, quantify and report patient data with just a click of a button,” said an official from BMC. A digital stethoscope called AyuSynk, developed by IIT Bombay start-up company Ayu Devices, during the Covid-19 pandemic, is also a part of the initiative. During the pandemic, to avoid getting close to patients, many doctors in Mumbai had opted for AyuSynk, used to listen to the sound of chest. “The device allows storing the auscultated sound as part of the patient's health record. This would enable doctors to direct patients to place the stethoscope on desired body parts and listen through Bluetooth headphones while maintaining a safe distance in case of infectious diseases,” said Andrade. Additionally, the device automatically records and stores data of each patient via a mobile application. A third project under the initiative is Grippy, an artificial robotic hand that can give a new lease of life to hundreds of accident victims. The 3D printed prosthetic hand with a sense of touch and multi-grip control is being designed by Robo Bionics, a Palghar-based start-up under the Startup India Initiative of the Union Government. “We are in the process of starting its pilot test. Grippy allows more natural and free movement as compared to other alternatives,” said Andrade.
