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Robot at the beck and call of COVID-19 suspected patients at Homagama hospital
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It has not been named yet, but a very active robot is now serving all the COVID-19 suspected patients who are at the Homagama Base Hospital – a home-grown creation.
This automated guided vehicle (AGV) taking a cup of tea to one, communicating a message from another to the healthcare staff, which will be at the beck and call of the patients was deployed last morning by Health Services Director-General Dr. Anil Jasinghe.
Impressed by the capability of the robot, Dr. Jasinghe instructed the creation of 50 more units for use in similar facilities in other hospitals in the country, the Sunday Times learns.
With the very costly and uncomfortable-to-wear personal protective equipment (PPE), a dire necessity in times of the highly-infectious COVID-19, a few had put on their thinking caps on how technology could be utilized, coming up with this unique answer.
Explaining this innovation, the Health Ministry’s Colombo Regional Director, Dr. Indika Jagoda, said that the Atlas Axillia Co. (Pvt.) Ltd., well known for stationery, which is part of the Hemas Group had offered their services, with Technical Advisor & Atlas Director Operations, Viraj Jayasuriya, producing their robot for adoption.
Dr. Jagoda and his staff; the Atlas staff; the Homagama Base Hospital Director Dr. Janith Hettiarachchi and his staff; and Health Ministry Coordinators Dr. Thilina Wanigasekera & Dr. Prasad Ranaweera had brainstormed and modified the robot to suit the needs of the healthcare system.
A “truly” Sri Lankan innovation, is how Dr. Jagoda describes it.
