The “African Saviour” project aims at deploying drones to help detect diseases such as coronavirus, according to a press release from the Moroccan School of Engineering.

The drone will be equipped with the necessary equipment for nose rubbing.

“At the same time, we will have a mobile application that will allow communication between doctors and patients. Patients will be able to tick off the symptoms they are suffering from and fill in personal data to send to the doctor, who will decide whether the person needs to take the test or not”, he explained.

In addition, as soon as the drone arrives at the patient’s home, the application allows the patient to follow, step by step, clear and precise instructions to carry out the sampling operation,” Daissaoui said. The pack carried by the drone will include a hydro-alcoholic gel and gloves, which are single-use and which he will throw away afterwards. On the return trip, the drone will only have to carry the sample, which will be in a sterilised bag and will have to pass through a disinfection point.

The second project “Digital System Medical Respiratory” (Digital and Intelligent Respiratory System) is a relevant digital innovation in the field of respiratory systems, based on connected objects to communicate the patient’s status to the relevant department in order to avoid any kind of direct contact for monitoring, in particular the visualisation of data such as flow, pressure and frequency.

It is also a warning system for critical situations within the hospital, the use of certified plastic materials for the design of the device’s tools, an electronic board to manage the system including pressure regulation to facilitate control through flow control and ventilator pressure, as well as tools to share the same system with several patients.

The third project, the “MeP”, is “a mobile application in the form of a shareable platform that will allow a doctor to create and validate prescriptions so that a patient can retrieve his or her medication from the pharmacy” and avoid contamination via paper prescriptions. Thus, “the digitalization of the medical prescription has become a necessity in Morocco,” the press release adds. This action is based on a doctor’s description and sending it for purchase to any pharmacy. The patient will be identified by a QR code to retrieve medicines without direct contact, especially in pandemics and critical situations.

It should be noted that the application ensures in particular the security of medical data, traceability as well as the traceability and history of prescriptions for patient follow-up.

“All Emsi faculty and researchers are confined to giving distance learning courses to students and devote their time in the school’s scientific laboratories to help generate scientific ideas to participate in efforts to protect citizens from the spread of the coronavirus by providing the necessary means to improve health services,” Daissaoui said.

“The ideas of our students, soon to be projects incubated by the company Lafactory, are at the disposal of the homeland to contribute to Morocco’s efforts to contain the spread of this pandemic,” he added.