An entire hospital, inside a box
In a natural disaster or even a global pandemic like the COVID-19 crisis, there is a need for fast, reliable and cost-effective healthcare solutions. Rural and developing areas have a particular need for solutions that can bring healthcare to those who otherwise can’t get to a doctor. Unfortunately, most of today’s mobile healthcare facilities are extremely expensive to deploy, set up and administer. Answering the call for cost-effective, mobile hospital services is the aim of the EU-funded HEALTH-IN-A-CONT project. “Our goal is to ensure people have access to medical services by designing a self-contained, mobile, temporary hospital facility that can be quickly deployed to disaster and underserved areas,” says Aquilino García Martos, CIO and technical director at Health Point Europe, the project’s lead partner.
Self-contained and ready to go
The HEALTH-IN-A-CONT solution places an entire hospital – surgical, ICU, laboratory and diagnosis – inside a marine shipping container. As these containers are designed for fast and efficient transport, the facility can be easily dispatched using existing logistic networks, including trucks, trains and ships. Another benefit is that the solution is completely autonomous, meaning all required medical equipment is self-contained inside the box. “Once the container arrives on site, it’s really just a matter of opening it up and providing medical services,” explains Martos. Because the containers are designed to be transported via truck, train and boat, they can also deliver healthcare services ‘on the go’. For instance, they can be set up and used on a train, providing mobile services both at individual train stops and while moving.
A game of Tetris
According to Martos, one of the biggest challenges was designing a layout that allowed for the safe, modular assembly of equipment within the restrictions of the given floorplan. For example, the design had to ensure that sterile surgical zones were completely separated from other, non-sterile areas. The project also had to install the electrical, gas and chemical components in accordance with all safety standards. “These mobile hospitals have to serve numerous purposes, but there’s only so much room to work with,” adds Martos. “Designing the floorplan was a bit like playing a game of Tetris, but we found a configuration that lets us provide all the necessary services while complying with all regulatory requirements.”
Healthcare anywhere, any time
The HEALTH-IN-A-CONT project successfully developed a prototype of its mobile hospital solution. As it looks towards commercialisation, the project team is now in discussions with various end users about testing the prototype and possibly becoming early adopters. “Thanks to the support of EU funding, we have developed an innovative solution that can place a hospital anywhere, any time,” concludes Martos. “In doing so, we are redefining how healthcare happens.” Having received a patent for its surgical container prototype, the project is actively working to develop an industrial process that will allow for serial manufacturing.
Keywords
HEALTH-IN-A-CONT, Health Point Europe, hospital, mobile hospital, shipping container, healthcare, mobile healthcare, COVID-19
