In a bid to reduce contact between COVID19 patients and medical workers, Rwanda has launched the use of robots to do chores previously done by medical personnel.
The robots are the result of joint efforts by the Rwandan Ministry of ICT and Innovation and the United Nations Development Programme.
Five robots are currently deployed at the Kanyinya COVID19 treatment facility in Nyarugenge District
Five anti-epidemic robots – named Akazuba, Ikirezi, Mwiza, Ngabo, and Urumuri – will be mainly used to administer temperature checks, monitor patient status, and keep medical records of COVID-19 patients, the Health Ministry announced in a series of tweets.
Rwanda on Tuesday, Rwanda confirmed 11 new cases of coronavirus and six recoveries. taking the tally of total confirmed cases to 308 of whom 209 have recovered.
“These high-tech robots have the capacity to screen 50 to 150 people per minute, deliver food and medication to patient rooms, capture data and notify officers on duty about detected abnormalities,” the ministry said.
Health Minister Ngamije Daniel said the robots will fasten service delivery and help protect the lives of valuable health workers. “Medics and other frontline workers visit patients’ room many times to deliver medication, meals, carry out tests, among other things – and this may increase their risk of contracting the virus,” he was quoted as saying by The New Times.
I’m deeply imprssd by ’s appetite 4 innovtn! Pleasd 2 hand ovr these anti-epidemic robots 2day 2 hlp fight . Thx Hon 4 ur vision & Hon & 4 the collabtn. & wrkng tgthr! pic.twitter.com/hUwHIzU9r1
— Stephen Rodriques (@sarodriques)
The launch comes hours after South Sudan’s government spokesperson Michael Makuei comfirmed that he and all members of the nation’s 15-member coronavirus task force h tested positive for coronavirus.
“Yes, I am positive. I am informed that all the members of the former committee are positive,” Makuei told VOA’s South Sudan in Focus on Tuesday. “We are self-quarantined. Those of the diagnosing center are supposed to come and take the samples of the contact persons, starting with my family. But up to now, they have not reported.”
South Sudan’s First Vice President Riek Machar revealed on state television Monday that he and his wife, Angelina Teny, the minister of defense and veterans affairs, tested positive for the coronavirus after members of the former high-level task force took a mandatory test last week.
