Singapore’s had relatively few Covid-19-related deaths, but countries on the other side of the world have sadly seen higher numbers.
Colombia has seen 592 deaths from over 16,000 confirmed cases to date.
In light of the situation, one Colombian advertising company designed cardboard hospital beds that can be converted straight into coffins when the patient using it passes away.
The company behind the beds, ABC Displays, used to manufacture cardboard for advertising purposes.
But in light of the Coivd-19 situation, it came up with this ingenious invention to help hospitals in Colombia cope with the shortage of beds, reported The Canberra Times (CT).
The cardboard-made beds also allow medical staff to remove corpses of patients safely without getting infected themselves.
With a few simple manoeuvres, the body can be lowered, and the bed becomes a coffin that can be closed and covered.
Watch this video to see how:
Built with metal railings and a reusable base, these cardboard beds are functional and sturdy.
They also have a lacquer layer – for easy disinfection – as well as wheels so they are easy to move around.
Each of them weighs up to 150kg, and costs around S$180 (US$127) — a third of what a standard hospital bed would cost.
On top of that, since it’s made out of cardboard, it’s biodegradable.
The company is able to produce up to 300 of these beds in a month now, but has yet to receive orders from hospitals, it said.
They plan to donate 10 of these beds to Colombia’s Amazonas state, where supplies are running low, reported the Associated Press.
The company hopes to deploy them to emergency clinics too, which may be short on beds.
However, there are currently no confirmed plans for the beds to be used anywhere.
ABC Design’s general manager Rodolfo Gomez, told CT that he was spurred to create the convertible coffin design because of the situation in the neighbouring country of Ecuador.
Bodies were piling up on the streets, as many couldn’t bury their deceased family members.
This was because morgues were full, and the corpses needed to be removed to free hospital beds for other patients. It was a heartbreaking scene, which posed health risks too.
While these coffin-beds have received some flak on social media, Mr Gomez explained that they are not meant to be offensive in any way — the company hopes that all patients who use the beds recover.
It’s a realistic solution to a real problem, and should be judged on its functionality, he added.
Hopefully, their invention can help Colombia in its battle against Covid-19.
We wish all those battling the pandemic the best, and extend our deepest condolences to those who have lost loved ones.
Featured image adapted from Facebook.
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