A start-up incubated at the Indian Institute of Technology-Madras (IIT-M) has developed portable hospital units. MediCAB is a 15-bed pre-fabricated unit comprising separate rooms for doctors, isolation and medical checks, in addition to an intensive care unit.

The unit, already deployed in Wayanad district, Kerala, can be installed by just four people in two hours. Modulus Housing collaborated with Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology for inputs on certification and customisation.

The start-up developed the micro hospitals with four zones — a doctor’s room, an isolation room, a medical room/ward and a twin-bed ICU maintained at negative pressure. Habitat for Humanity’s Terwilliger Centre for Innovation in Shelter funded the deployment in Kerala.

Modulus Housing was founded by two IIT alumni in 2018, and is supported by IIT-M’s incubation cell. It has set up its manufacturing unit in Chengalpattu, around 35 km from Chennai. The start-up repurposed its design to build micro-hospitals in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The start-up’s chief executive officer, Shreeram Ravichandran, said, “The outcome of the pilot project in Kerala will help prove the applicability of the technology and the advantages of micro hospitals. It can be easily assembled in hours by four people. When folded, our collapsible cabins are reduced five-fold, making it cost-effective for transportation.”

According to him, the structures will be particularly helpful in rural areas, where the population density is relatively low. The start-up has already supplied foldable cabins to clients such as L&T, the TATA group, Shapoorji Pallonji group and Selco, among others.