At Stanley, robot takes on nursing duties

Device will help avoid overexposure

04/04/2020, SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT ,CHENNAI

The Health Minister inspecting the upcoming 500-bed COVID-19 facility at Stanley hospital.

Now, a robot delivers food, water and medication to patients admitted to the COVID-19 ward of the Government Stanley Medical College Hospital.

The hospital has introduced the “robot nurse” to reduce the number of times a healthcare provider, especially a staff nurse, interacts with a COVID-19 patient, according to hospital authorities.

The robot was put on trial for a few days at the hospital, and a staff nurse, who was posted at the ward, was trained in operating the robot, Health Minister C. Vijayabaskar said.

Protecting workers

The Minister, who inspected the upcoming 500-bed COVID-19 facility at the hospital on Friday, said: “The robot will help avoid overexposure for staff nurses. They can operate it and send food, water bottles and medicines for the patients in the COVID-19 ward.”

It is important to protect healthcare providers from infections, he added.

P. Balaji, dean of the hospital, said that they had deployed the robot so that the contact of a nurse with a patient is restricted. “It has a two-way camera too. We can also send books for patients using the robot. Our staff need not walk into the ward frequently and this will also reduce apprehensions among them,” he said.

Dr. Vijayabaskar added that the hospital was in the process of setting up a COVID-19 facility with 500 beds and 100 ventilators.