CORONAVIRUS | A doctor’s idea of a cubicle that prevents Covid-19 transmissions during the screening process came into fruition yesterday when it was set up for the first time in front of the Tengku Ampuan Afzan Hospital (HTAA, photo above) Emergency Unit in Kuantan.

Named the “I3S Cubicle” and the brainchild of Dr Ahmed Kamarulzaman, the white-coloured cubicle cost RM13,000 to produce and took only a day to be completed.

Ahmed started work on the cubicle on April 2 at a factory in Kajang, Selangor, with I3S standing for I; Isolate, 3; Examine and S; Sampling.

"The idea to produce this cubicle came up in the middle of last month, with the intention to help healthcare personnel from continuously worrying about the risk of the virus transmission while taking samples from suspected individuals.

“Besides that, the shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE), which was becoming more and more crucial, had pushed our team to finish this project as fast as possible,” Ahmed told reporters here after the I3S Cubicle installation at HTAA in Kuantan yesterday.

Ahmed, who owns a clinic in the city, said the two compartments inside the cubicle separate health personnel from the patient, so they will not share the same air and with the use of special gloves, there is no direct contact between the two.

“The I3S Cubicle is effective in separating medical officer from the patient during sampling, such as when performing throat swabs, and at the same time equipped with good ventilation,” he said.

He said the effort was supported by various parties such as the Muamalat Belia Foundation, University Teknologi Malaysia, Alfa KotaSAS clinic and the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation, besides receiving a positive response from Health Ministry.

Ahmed, who lives in the district, said for geographical reasons, HTAA became the first choice for the cubicle to be installed as it enabled him to monitor the effectiveness of the innovation following the implementation of the movement control order.

He said his team has received requests to produce more I3S Cubicles for healthcare facilities, especially in Covid-19 red zones, and are currently looking for funding.

- Bernama

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