Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Madras-incubated startup Modulus Housing has developed a 15-bedded portable hospital unit ‘MediCab’ that can be installed anywhere within two hours by four people.
It is foldable and is composed of four zones – a doctor's room, an isolation room, a medical room/ward and a twin-bed ICU, maintained at negative pressure.
‘MediCAB’ has been launched recently in Wayanad District of Kerala where the units are being deployed to treat Covid-19 patients.
This deployment in Kerala has been undertaken with grant funds from Habitat for Humanity’s Terwilliger Center for Innovation in Shelter. The startup collaborated with Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology (SCTIMST) which provided inputs on the certifications and customizations necessary for the project.
Founded by two IIT alumni in 2018, Modulus Housing was supported by IIT Madras Incubation Cell and has a vision to revolutionise housing through modular prefab structures. They have re-purposed their designs to support the fight against Covid-19.
Emphasising the need for such innovations in Covid-19 times, Shreeram Ravichandran, Chief Executive Officer, Modulus Housing, said, “The outcome of this pilot project in Kerala will help in proving the applicability of the technology and advantages of micro hospitals, with MediCAB as an instant infrastructure solution. It can be easily assembled in eight hours by four people. When folded, our collapsible cabins are reduced five-fold, making it very cost-effective for transportation.”
Ravichandran said, “Unlike urban areas where there is plenty of existing infrastructure that can be converted to hospitals, rural areas do not have a lot of infrastructure. It is difficult to construct buildings from scratch as the requirement is immediate. As the rural population density is relatively low, more micro hospitals help greatly in tackling COVID-19 cases.”
Post-Pandemic, these cabins can be remodelled into micro-hospitals/clinics for rural places. They can be easily shifted and placed there, said an official.
