Rajasthan: SMS Hospital brings in robots to serve COVID-19 patients  

Necessity is the mother of invention! This adage goes well with SMS hospital where the doctors have brought in a robot to serve the patients at the isolated wards with COVID-19 patients.

On Wednesday, a trial run was conducted and this trial shall continue on Thursday as well. We are marking the working of this robot and once it passes the test, we shall decide to bring it in, said Professor S. Banerjee, senior doctor Sawai Man Singh Hospital.

He said: "Once the robot comes in service, it can deliver food and other small things as required by patients, thereby reducing the rounds of medical staff they need to make in isolation wards. Eventually, the number of medical staff deputed in the isolation ward shall be reduced and they can serve other departments as required," he added.

Excerpts from the interview:

Q: How did the idea of bringing in robot come?

A: There were news coming in about the smart working by robots in different restaurants. The know how and when to deliver food to the guests. So why not we make a try? This was when we took a call of trying it here in SMS Hospital and contacted a few NGOs who willingly came up to offer a robot.

Even if you are wearing protective gears and kit, there is a risk of exposure for medical staff and therefore there is lot of anxiety among all when entering into isolation ward where there are positive patients. If this robot reduces even one round out of 10 being made by medical staff, it shall be of big help, as it shall reduce 10 per cent chance of exposure.

By Thursday evening, we shall decide the final feedback on this issue if robot trial is success or failure.

We shall ensure that patient care is not comprised with but if robot can take some work, it will be lot of help. So we have set certain parameters of marking and will be monitoring its working via a safe place.

Banerjee is part of the SMS Hospital team who cured three COVID-19 patients.