Robots used to reduce virus transmission

KIGALI: At the Kanyinya Covid-19 treatment facility outside Rwanda’s capital Kigali, Akazuba, Ikizere and Ngabo report for duty, but these are no ordinary health-care workers.

In a bid to minimise contact between patients infected with the coronavirus and doctors and nurses, Rwanda is using three robots to carry out simple tasks like taking temperatures and monitoring patients.

The sleek white robots were donated by the UN Development Programme and are helping frontline workers tackle the crisis in the country which so far has 355 confirmed cases of the Covid-19.

Rwanda is already using drones to deliver blood and enforce restrictions designed to slow the spread of the disease.

There are two more robots at the country’s other Covid-19 treatment centre, Nyamata, in south east Kigali.

REUTERS A HEALTH professional talks to a hi-tech robot developed by Zora Bots during a demonstration at the Kanyinya Covid-19 treatment centre, in Kigali, Rwanda on Friday. |