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Modulus Housing, an IIT Madras incubated startup, develops portable hospital unit

Modulus Housing has set up its manufacturing unit 35kms from Chennai and has currently launched its portable hospital unit in
Modulus Housing has set up its manufacturing unit 35kms from Chennai and has currently launched its portable hospital unit in Kerala’s Wayanad district.

The IIT Madras-incubated startup, Modulus Housing, has developed a portable hospital unit to deal with the rising screening and treatment of COVID-19 patients in India. The unit, called ‘MediCab,’ can be installed anywhere within two hours with four people’s mere labor.

‘MediCab’ follows a decentralized approach to detect, screen, identify, isolate, and treat patients for COVID-19 amidst the local communities via their portable microstructures, as reported by ET (1). The portable hospital unit has already been launched in Kerala’s Wayanad district.

The startup is currently developing micro-hospitals that can be deployed across the nation.

The startup has collaborated with Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology, who provided the inputs on the certifications and customizations required for the project.

‘MediCab’ is a foldable portable hospital that comprises of four zones, namely, the doctor’s room, the isolation room, the medical ward, and the twin-bed ICU, maintained at negative pressure.

Modulus Housing was founded by two IIT alumni back in 2018 with the support of the Indian Institute of Technology Madras Incubation Cell that has the vision to revolutionize housing through modular prefab structures.

MediCab- an instant infra solution

Shreeram Ravichandran, CEO of Modulus Housing, said, “The outcome of this pilot project in Kerala will help in proving applicability of the technology & advantages of micro-hospitals, with MediCab as an instant infrastructure solution. It can be easily assembled in 8 hours by 4 people. When folded, our collapsible cabins are reduced 5-fold, making it very cost-effective for transportation.”

The startup has repurposed their designs to support India’s fight against Coronavirus.

“Health infrastructure is crucial in fighting any pandemic. With a contagious disease such as COVID19, it is essential to have smart health infrastructure to screen, contain, & treat people. Unlike urban areas where there is plenty of existing infrastructures that can be converted to hospitals, rural areas do not have a lot of infrastructures. 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,” he added.

The healthcare startup has set up its manufacturing unit at a location 35kms from Chennai called Chengalpet and is working on a dual design where the units can be instantly deployed as COVID-19 isolation wards. Later, these units can be used as micro-hospitals or clinics in rural areas where the healthcare infrastructure is under development.

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