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Pera engineering undergrads develop remote system to monitor patients in isolation wards
A group of Peradeniya University engineering undergraduates have developed a remote system whereby the health conditions of as many as 30 isolated Covid-19 suspect patients could be monitored from a control room or from a consultant’s mobile phone.
Group leaders Kesera Weerasinghe and Kasun Vithanage said the system was successfully tested at the Peradeniya Teaching Hospital’s isolation ward.
Mr. Weerasinghe said that during the present Covid crisis, one of the pressing needs of a hospital is a Central Monitoring system, which is costly. “We have managed to develop a low-cost system at the Engineering Faculty laboratory using local expertise and available resources. Thus we have saved millions of rupees in public funds,” he said.
The undergrad said they decided to develop the system because doctors, nurses and other medical staff had to take huge risks and wear uncomfortable personal protective equipment (PPE) every time they entered an isolated ward. With this system, the visits to the isolation ward could be kept at a minimum as the patients could be monitored from a single control panel, which could also be viewed from a consultant’s mobile phone.
Vice Chancellor Upul B. Dissanayake and Prof. Prasanna Gunawardene joined the student when presenting the system to the Peradeniya Teaching Hospital.