Udaipur : Anup Gupte, an Udaipur based architect has designed a secure and protective pandemic sample collection facility based on the facility developed in South Korea. The proposal which has been sent to the Prime Minister and chief ministers of all states, envisages use of a washable and waterproof tarpaulin tent, a re-purposed MS container box known as ‘Porta Cabins’ , aluminium, laminate, acrylic partitions and asphalt for flooring.
Gupte who has a degree in B.Arch from Aayojan School of Architecture, Germany specializes in Furniture Design from National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad. Gupte’s sample collection facility prototype has been approved by Neuberg Supratech Micropath Laboratory , an institution accredited for COVID-19 test. Many manufacturing units have already agreed to build the booths free of cost , if it is approved by the central or state governments.
” Hospitals and testing centres are becoming the hotspots for dissemination during this pandemic and thus it befits to be a necessity to keep the health workers from getting infected and reduce unwanted transmission The systematic design reprimands the possibility of the personnel involved in the collection and people conceding their samples to be contaminated or cross-contaminated” Gupte told Udaipur Kiran. South Korea used a phone booth with a glove box compartment for collecting samples which achieved a higher number of samples collected , reduced transmission in these areas and reduced PPE kits, he added.
In his proposal, Gupte has suggested use of available tarpaulin tent widely used by local tent fabricators all over the country measuring to a size of 40’x16’ . A 20’x 10’x 10’ MS container box, repurposed as an air-conditioned storage facility, and change room. would serve as porta cabins. Aluminium partitions inside the collection facility and Flooring is made of vinyl sheets and vitrified tiles.
The architect said the typical layout is proposed with 3 booths for uninterrupted flow. For example at any given time booth 1 shall be sanitized, booth 2 shall be refilled with required swab collection unit. And booth 3 shall be utilized for swab collection. Assuming task time periods are 10 minutes for disinfecting booth, 3 minutes for swab kit placing, 5 minutes for swab collection and 3 minutes for bagging and assumption is 50 persons to be tested in an 8-hour shift.