IIT-M collaborates with Chengalpattu Medical College and Hospital to design and develop a ‘doffing unit’

Chennai: The Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT-M) Civil Engineering division has collaborated with the Chengalpattu Medical College and Hospital (CMCH) in Tamil Nadu to design and develop a ‘Doffing Unit’ to allow healthcare professionals to securely and successfully take away their Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).

‘Donning’ is the process of assembling PPE on the healthcare suppliers and ‘doffing’ is the process for removing of PPE. Such procedures should adhere to sure commonplace protocols to forestall of additional unfold of infections.

Prof. Koshy Varghese and Prof. Arul Jayachandran of the Civil Engineering division at IIT-M, in collaboration with the Innovation group of Chengalpattu Government Medical College and Hospital, and a multi-disciplinary group of pros efficiently designed, fabricated and put in the doffing unit.

The whole collaboration came about remotely through the lockdown interval through the month of April 2020. This collaboration required on-line discussions between IIT Madras, CMCH, Public Works Department, Nandini and Arunima Architects (Akarma Designs), Kavin Kumar of IIT Madras Start-up EPMCR and Fabricators, Steel Tech and MetalScope, Puducherry.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has set requirements for PPE, and procedures to be adopted for donning and doffing PPE. In resource-constrained settings, modern designs are wanted for the speedy deployment of such items.

Several variations of the design had been generated and reviewed earlier than the group finalised the model for fabrication. District officers additionally coordinated with the group to allow the fabrication and protected transportation of the Unit to the operational location at CMCH.

The items had been commissioned by Chengalpattu District Collector John Louis on May 6 and have confirmed to be protected and efficient and meet a vital want at CMCH through the present pandemic.

To allow continued refinement in addition to dissemination of unit design, the Centre for Urbanization, Building and Environment (CUBE) will work with Governments and Hospitals to design and advise on deployment of doffing items primarily based on particular wants. CUBE is a Centre of Excellence established at IIT Madras collectively with the Government of Tamil Nadu.

This challenge was undertaken with monetary help from corporates underneath Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).