Ranchi: In a bid to ensure safety of health workers, the West Singhbhum administration in Jharkhand has introduced an innovative portable unit for collecting samples from suspected coronavirus-infected persons, an official said.
The unit looks like a public telephone booth and will reduce manpower needed for collecting samples for coronavirus tests, he said.
The sample collection unit has already been set up at Chaibasa Sadar Hospital, he added. A similar initiative has also been taken in Kerala where an indigenously built COVID WISK (Walk-in Sample Kiosk) was installed at a government hospital. “The phone booth COVID-19 sample collection centre is a unique, low-cost and portable unit. It ensures safety of health workers while collecting sample from a suspected patient,” the official said.
The sample collection kiosk can be mounted on a vehicle and transported to any location, he said.
“The Centre has appreciated this innovation and it is hoped that this model will be adopted elsewhere and will go a long way to contain the COVID-19 pandemic,” he said.
This mobile unit will be useful for collecting samples in COVID-19 hotspots and border checkpoints, the official said, adding that each model costs about Rs 15,000-20,000.
The structure of the centre is “just like a public phone booth” consisting of a small cubicle along with personal protective equipment such as gloves for a health worker and kit for collecting samples.
One side of the unit is made of glass with two holes where removable and disposable gloves are fitted from outside while other three sides are built with aluminium panel board.
Explaining how the centre will function, the official said a person standing in a queue will be asked to come close to the kiosk and follow the instruction given through a public address system for collection of his or her swab sample. A health worker equipped with personal protective gears stands inside the kisok and collects the sample and then, follows the sanitisation process before taking next sample.
“It requires less health staff for sample collection and strictly follows the principle of social distancing,” the official said. Four COVID-19 cases have been reported in Jharkhand so far, he added. (PTI)
