Government Industrial Training Institute (ITI) of Odisha’s Berhampur has prepared extreme low cost ‘aerosol box’ and ‘face shields’ for medical staff involved in treatment of COVID-19 patients.
Receiving information about it, Director General of Employment and Training (DGET) and Central ministry for Skill Development & Entrepreneurship has organised a video conference of different ITIs of the country on April 30, where Berhampur ITI will provide technical training for preparation of these much needed medical equipments to other ITIs for local production at their end, said principal of Berhampur ITI, Rajat Panigrahy.
At request of Ganjam district administration Berhampur ITI successfully experimented construction of cost effective ‘aerosol box’ and ‘face shields’. Market price of an ‘aerosol box’ is around 10,000 rupees. But Berhampur ITI made it at low production cost of around 3000 rupees. Each ‘face shield’ is sold for around 200 rupees, while its production cost at Berhampur ITI is just 11 rupees.
While the institute remains closed for students during lockdown, principal and staffs of Berhampur ITI designed and constructed them in the workshops of the institute. The ‘aerosol boxes’ and ‘face shields’ prepared by Berhampur ITI will be provided to COVID-19 hospital in Ganjam district.
‘Aerosol box’ is a transparent box with holes to enter gloved hands, which is put over the head of a COVID-19 patient placed on ventilator in ICU during the intubation process. Intubation involves insertion of endotracheal tube (ET) through the mouth to the airway. The ‘aerosol box’ serves as barrier to check possible transmission of COVID-19 droplets from the patient to the treating doctors administering intubation.
The ‘aerosol box’ of Berhampur ITI uses 4mm transparent acrylic sheets that are cut by laser cutting machine to make the joints completely airtight, said Mr Panigrahy. After use for one patient it can be sanitised for reuse, he added.
The ‘face shields’ of Behampur ITI uses A4 transparent shields with foam lined elastic bands to keep them attached to the head of the user. These shields covering face, eyes and neck are useful protective gear for medical staff, ambulance drivers, health workers and police, who are at high risk of airborne viral droplets. In comparison to the ones available in market, our ‘face shield’ is more comfortable and can be worn for long time, said Mr Panigrahy.
Added to it, Berhampur ITI has also constructed one cost effective ‘mobile COVID-19 sample collection kiosk’ at cost of 30,000 rupees. Till now no COVID-19 positive case has emerged from Ganjam district. If need arises more such mobile kiosks will be constructed.
