Panjim: The State Government has installed 12 ‘Smart Kiosks’ at industrial estates and along the borders for random population-based screening of COVID-19.
The Directorate of Health Services in collaboration with Wipro GE Healthcare, through CSR, has implemented the project, which will help in increasing need for more community testing through a swift, robust and seamless sample collection process.
The kiosks have been placed and started operations at Verna Industrial Estate, Mapusa Industrial Estate, and at the border locations in Dodamarg, Keri, and Patradevi.
“We are introducing state-of-art ‘Smart Kiosks’ to ensure the safety of both healthcare staff and citizens of Goa when sample collection is taking place. These kiosks will go a long way in controlling the spread of COVID-19 in the State of Goa,” said Health Minister Vishwajit Rane.
He said that the effective partnership between the government and industry is critical when dealing with challenges like the one Goa is face today. “I am thankful to Wipro GE Healthcare, who through their CSR efforts have come forward to support this initiative by designing an innovative kiosk and having it implemented across 12 locations in Goa,” the Minister added.
The ‘Smart kiosk’ was developed by design engineers at e-Cube, a one-of-its-kind design studio at Wipro GE’s innovation centre in Bengaluru.
“Doctors and Healthcare workers getting infected with COVID-19 when passionately carrying out their duties is disturbing and an unfortunate fallout of the treatment process,” said Nalinikanth Gollagunta, Managing Director, Wipro GE Healthcare.
He added that the ‘Smart Kiosk’ which eliminates any contact between a suspected COVID-19 patient and the healthcare worker when collecting samples, thus significantly reducing their chances of getting infected.
