Life-saving medical equipment: QR codes tracked delivery of over 2,300 concentrators to hospitals

New Delhi: Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's repeated calls for donations from members of the civil society for help procuring oxygen and ancillary equipment were answered by many as over 2,300 concentrators have been delivered to state-run hospitals through these donations.

The Delhi government said it had managed to achieve this by organising a system of delivering this life-saving equipment that tracked these shipments with a QR-code.

The concerns were addressed by the Delhi government's Dialogue and Development Commission (DDC) which in collaboration with the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and Blowhorn, a logistics start-up, developed a QR code-based tracking system for donated medical equipment which could be traced by the donors.

"At the same time, the donors were keen to ensure that these equipment are used efficiently," Vice-Chairperson of DDC Jasmine Shah said.

"This will ensure transparency and optimal utilisation of this life-saving medical equipment," he added.

A Delhi government official aware of the developments said that the process involves vetting medical equipment once received through donors, attaching a unique QR code and then supplying them to various hospitals as per the requirements.

The DDC has delivered 2,300 oxygen concentrators of 5 LPM and 10 LPM capacity which were funded by donors to the government hospitals. "Another 1,700 oxygen concentrators and 100 ventilators are in the process of being supplied. We will continue the coordination to help Delhi tide over this wave and also in the future," Shah said.

The process will also ensure transparency and at every step that the equipment moves it will show its location, the official added.

The QR code can be scanned to track the location as well as usage patterns of medical equipment. "In the future, this will also enable the hospitals to carry out physical audits of this equipment," the DDC said in a statement.

"It was also crucial to ensure timely and efficient delivery of this medical equipment to the hospitals. DDC roped in the support of Delhivery, Uber, and Portr who contributed resources free of cost to ensure seamless delivery of these life-saving medical equipment to Delhi's hospitals without a moment's delay. Invaluable support was also provided by volunteers of School Management Committees (SMCs) to coordinate the deliveries of this donated equipment on the ground," Shah said.

However, now that cases are going down in the city and hospital beds are freeing up in larger numbers, this donated equipment might not see much immediate use in the near future.

But the consensus is that this will go a long way in helping the city's healthcare institutions to deal with a possible onslaught of the third wave of the pandemic.