Humanihut's South Australian Florey isolation hospital a response to Covid-19 and future health crises
Humanihut's field infrastructure systems, already used by South Australia's State Emergency Service, were expanded to the Florey isolation hospital concept.
South Australian company Humanihut launched a portable isolation hospital for widespread medical emergency hotspots to treat patients with respiratory illnesses in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Based in Adelaide, Humanhut's Florey isolation hospital has received expressions of interest from government clients in the United States, Europe, Middle East and Australia to better prepare for future epidemics or health crises. The deployable medical unit was adapted with French-based business Utilis International from Humanihut designs for disaster accommodation.
Humanihut joint founder and managing director Neale Sutton said the Florey model was created for the COVID-19 outbreak in New York as an efficient market-ready alternative to tents used for field hospitals. The Florey cost $200,000 per bed compared to about $1.5 million per bed for a hospital. It could be delivered by land, air or sea inside the two containers and can be set up within 24 hours.
In its basic configuration, the Florey isolation hospital comprised 6 flatpack huts each measuring 6m x 2.3m set up as single-bed patient rooms with ensuites, standing between two containers housing a nurse’s station, staffroom, kitchen, bathroom and laundry. A weatherproof internal corridor made from a soft polymer canvas connects the containers and patient rooms.
The huts are steel skinned and have insulated walls, to maintain a suitable temperature for patients and doctors. The Florey isolation hospital includes utilities for water, power and wastewater treatment, wi-fi connectivity, and medical grade equipment supplied by G3 Systems through Humanihut’s partnership with Utilis.
The negative pressure air filtration system to prevent cross-contamination throughout the site was from Airepure Australia and air conditioning is by globally renowned Seeley International, based in Adelaide.
Humanihut had sold other variations of its field infrastructure systems to the South Australian State Emergency Service as well as to clients in Saudi Arabia and France.
