The present invention relates to a mobile health care unit for obstetric purposes. More particularly, the present invention relates to a mobile health care unit for providing safe treatment, monitoring and operating conditions for pregnant women, maternity care, childbirth, postpartum care of the mother, and primary care of the infant.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Obstetrics is the branch of medicine that deals with the care of women during pregnancy, childbirth and the post-partum period following the delivery. It includes prenatal care, postnatal care, preventative care, detection of sexually transmitted diseases, diagnosis and treatment of disorders and intercurrent diseases during pregnancy, and the fetal assessment. These are carried out by obstetric professionals and gynaecologist; who are specialists in the field of pregnancy and newborn care.

It is often found, especially in developing countries, that the afore-noted facilities are available only to the privileged class living in and around urban areas. Even today, every day about 800 women die from pregnancy or childbirth related causes. Maternal deaths, which include the death of a woman while pregnant or within 42 days of termination of pregnancy, are high particularly in impoverished communities with over 85% living in Africa and Southern Asia. The infant, if they survive childbirth, are more likely to die within 1 - 2 years. Women living in rural areas experience higher maternal mortality than women living in urban and sub-urban regions.

Most of such maternal deaths may be prevented by taking the following steps: prenatal care - the expectant mothers must receive at least four antenatal visits to check and monitor the health of mother and fetus; skilled birth attendance with emergency backup such as doctors, nurses and midwives who have the skills to manage normal deliveries and recognize the onset of complications; emergency obstetric care to address the major causes of maternal death which are hemorrhage, sepsis, unsafe abortion, hypertensive disorders and obstructed labour; and postnatal care - which is the six weeks following the delivery during which bleeding, sepsis and hypertensive disorders can occur and the newborns are extremely vulnerable in the immediate aftermath of birth.

An ambulance with a labour or delivery cot may solve some of the aforementioned problems. By such an ambulance accessibility may be achieved, particularly in rural, tribal or economically backward areas, where reaching a hospital or healthcare facility is challenging.

Several efforts have been made in the past to provide provisions such as ambulance or mobile delivery cots.

One such typical mobile delivery cot is taught by Indian patent document 1825/CHE/2014 which discloses a mobile delivery cot consisting of foot trap, adjustable head rest, and a movable trolley for the pregnant women adapted for delivery.

Other prior art documents WO2015059512 and CN203354821 disclose a mobile intensive care unit with advanced equipment intended to provide diagnosis and treatment for cardiovascular diseases. Likewise, JP patent document JP20071 1 1 142 discloses a mobile life-saving unit for accident victims. However, there is no known mobile unit which can address the afore-mentioned obstetric problems. During childbirth, the expectant mothers may face several complications. These may include extensive labour, obstructed labour, severe bleeding, high BP, severe infection, etc. Also, many times the infant may be born with a serious medical condition or prematurely requiring special neonatal care. To improve maternal health, barriers that limit access to quality maternal health services must be identified and addressed. Further, in recent years, various health organisations have worked to lower maternal deaths due to the lack of amenities and healthcare facilities for the expectant mothers. The transport of a pregnant women to an appropriate health facility plays a pivotal role in preventing maternal deaths, and thereby pre-mature births and neonatal deaths.

There is therefore a need for a self-sufficient, mobile unit which will take care of all the needs of an expectant mother, during pregnancy and postpartum, and also provide for intensive care of the neonate.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to provide a mobile health care unit which overcomes the afore-mentioned drawbacks of the prior arts, and which is compatible with a variety of vehicles, including van and ambulances; thus, sufficing a mini-mobile hospital environment.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a mobile health care unit for obstetric purposes which provides facilities for the safe prenatal care, delivery and postnatal care of mothers, and the neonate.

It is yet another object of the present invention to improve maternal and foetal health, and thereby provide positive long term impact on enhancing the socio-economic well-being of the society. Other objects and advantages of the present invention will be more apparent from the following description when read in conjunction with the accompanying figures, which are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention.

Accordingly, the present invention discloses a mobile healthcare unit for obstetric purposes including a vehicle having a housing, said housing comprising a sterile surgical section wherein there is positioned an at least partly rotatable seat adapted to move between a first position to assist a patient in the physiological upright posture during childbirth, and a second position which is at least partly inclined to assist the patient in a comfortable position after childbirth or during monitoring and examination; and a neonate nursery positioned proximal to said seat, said neonate nursery including at least one device selected from an incubator and a baby warmer, and adapted with a detachable work surface to carry the baby from or to the sterile surgical section.

Additionally, the present invention comprises a non-sterile section partitioned from said sterile surgical section by a slidable door.

Typically, said non-sterile section comprises at least one convenience means selected from wash basin, water closet, overhead water tank, handheld shower, waste collection boxes, fire extinguisher and foldable seating arrangements.

Preferably, said seat further comprises at least one means selected from side rails, seat belt, adjustable foot rest, height adjustment means, flexible handle, directed light and placenta tray. Further, said neonate nursery comprises at least one provision selected from light means, temperature controller, digital weighing means, collapsible side rails, and storage cabinets.

Additionally, said housing comprises a cooled medicine cabinet for storing medicines or blood units. Furthermore, said housing comprises an air-tight medical equipment cabinet adapted to hold sterile equipment in formalin vapor.

Preferably, said housing further comprises foldable seating arrangements positioned proximal to the entry/exit. Additionally, an extendable ramp is provided at the entry/exit for receiving patients on wheelchairs or stretchers.

The said mobile healthcare unit may comprise an air handling unit for heating, ventilating and air conditioning said housing. Additionally, said housing may further comprise an ultraviolet sterilizer for sterilizing said housing.

Preferably, said housing may comprise at least one equipment selected from suction machine, sonography machine, vital signs machine, IV hook and oxygen cylinder. Furthermore, said housing may comprise at least one provision selected from roof lights, sun roof, directed lights, cabin lights, plug sockets, integrated storage units, air vents, curtains to define a private space and hot water geyser. More preferably, the mobile healthcare unit may comprise a generator to power the electricals in said mobile healthcare unit. The generator may be arranged on the vehicle chassis at the lower end.

The said housing is at least partly made of stainless steel to assist in cleaning or sterilizing. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE ACCOMPANYING DRAWINGS

The invention will now be described with the help of the following drawings, in which,

FIGURE 1 illustrates a preferred embodiment of the present invention; and

FIGURE 2 illustrates another preferred embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The embodiments herein and the various features and advantageous details thereof are explained with reference to the non-limiting embodiments in the following description. The examples used herein are intended merely to facilitate an understanding of the ways in which the embodiments herein may be practiced and to further enable those of skill in the art to practice the embodiments herein. Accordingly, the examples should not be construed as limiting the scope of the embodiments herein.

The description herein after, of the specific embodiments will so fully reveal the general nature of the embodiments herein that others can, by applying current knowledge, readily modify and/or adapt for various applications such specific embodiments without departing from the generic concept, and, therefore, such adaptations and modifications should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalents of the disclosed embodiments. It is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation. Therefore, while the embodiments herein have been described in terms of preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that the embodiments herein can be practiced with modification within the spirit and scope of the embodiments as described herein. The present invention envisages a mobile healthcare unit. The mobile healthcare unit of the present invention is specifically suited for obstetric purposes. The obstetric processes may include monitoring of expectant mothers, labour, delivery/birthing, recovery of the mother post-delivery, postnatal (or post-partum) care and infant care. To provide for the above processes, the healthcare unit for obstetric purposes must consist of a delivery cot, medical equipment for monitoring and delivery, baby warmer, suction machine, machines for short term care of the baby such as for assisted ventilation or incubation, nursery for the baby for feeding, bathing, changing and weighing the baby, private space for medical practitioner, and waiting area for the close relatives of the patient. During labour or delivery/birthing, the mother may develop complications needing special care. Also, the infant may be born with complications requiring incubation or ventilation. From the prior art, it has been observed that an ambulance or emergency vehicle has only such provisions which may simply assist the patient temporarily till the patient is brought to the hospital. Further, no emergency vehicle has been designed for women for obstetric purposes, leave alone a complete medical healthcare unit to care for all the needs of the women during childbirth, as providing even a few of the afore-mentioned equipment in a van will occupy the whole van space, leaving room for the medical practitioner or gynaecologist, and causing discomfort to the patient. The present invention therefore aims to design a mobile healthcare unit which will not only comprise all the afore-mentioned equipment needed for childbirth and child care, but also will have a sterile hospital environment with provisions for surgery, treatment, monitoring, practicing, cleaning and hygiene. The present invention therefore aims to improve maternal and foetal health, and thereby provide positive long term impact on enhancing the socio-economic well-being of the society.

Accordingly, the present invention discloses a mobile healthcare unit for obstetric purposes. The mobile healthcare unit is designed in a housing of a vehicle. The vehicle can be any kind of means of transport such as a van, truck, military vehicle, aircraft, helicopter or hospital ship. The housing is provided with a sterile surgical section. A separate air conditioning unit or air handling unit (AHU) may be provided for heating, ventilating and air conditioning the housing. The air handling unit shall provide filtered and conditioned air, particularly to the sterile section of the housing. The air handling unit, designed according to the area of the sterile section, may be arranged at the ceiling of the housing of the vehicle. An ultraviolet sterilizer may be additionally provided for sterilizing the housing.

In the housing, there is positioned a seat or a delivery chair. The seat is adapted to rotate at least partly. The seat of the present invention can be moved between a first position to assist a patient in the physiological upright posture during childbirth, and a second position which is at least partly inclined to assist the patient in a comfortable position after childbirth or during monitoring and examination. Thus, the seat may be used as an upright seat or as a comfortable reclining cot. In the second position, there must be a space between the seat and a wall to allow free movement of the seat. The seat may further comprise side rails, seat belt, adjustable foot rest, height adjustment means, flexible handle, directed light and placenta tray.

The housing comprises a neonate nursery positioned proximal to the seat. The neonate nursery may include an incubator and/or a baby warmer. The incubator and the baby warmer may be so designed to have a detachable work surface to carry the baby from or to the sterile surgical section. The neonate nursery may comprise light means, temperature controller, digital weighing means, collapsible side rails and storage cabinets. The seat and the neonate nursery may be positioned along a wall of the vehicle. The seat and the neonate nursery may be detachably attached to the floor of the vehicle to allow selective movement. The housing further comprises a non-sterile section partitioned from the sterile surgical section by a slidable door. The non-sterile section of the housing may comprise provisions for the convenience of the medical practitioner/gynaecologist or the patient. These provisions may include but are not limited to wash basin, water closet, overhead water tank, handheld shower, waste collection boxes, fire extinguisher and foldable seating arrangements.

The housing comprises a cooled medicine cabinet for storing medicines or blood units. The cooled cabinets preserve the medicines and blood units at a right temperature to prevent spoilage. Additionally, the housing comprises an air-tight medical equipment cabinet adapted to hold sterile equipment in formalin vapor. A work station may be formed on the top of the cooled cabinets or air-tight medical equipment cabinet for the medical practitioner/gynaecologist. The housing comprises one or more of the medical equipment selected from suction machine, sonography machine, vital signs machine, IV hook and oxygen cylinder. The equipment may either be hung on a wall of the vehicle housing or detachably attached to the floor. The housing may comprise one or more of the provisions selected from roof lights, sun roof, directed lights, cabin lights, plug sockets, integrated storage units, air vents, digital watch, curtains to define a private space and hot water geyser.

The housing is provided with foldable seating arrangements positioned proximal to the entry/exit. A slidable door may be provided between the foldable seating arrangements and the sterile surgical section. An extendable ramp is provided at the entry/exit for receiving patients on wheelchairs or stretchers. The housing is at least partly made of stainless steel to assist in cleaning or sterilizing. The floor can be anti-skid to prevent slipping. One or more of the electrical equipment in the sterile and the non-sterile section of the housing may be adapted to consume energy from the vehicle engine or battery. Additionally, a generator may be arranged on the chassis of the vehicle to power the electrical equipment in the sterile and the non- sterile section of the housing. The generator may be run on fuel or battery.

The present invention will now be described in detail by means of the preferred embodiments illustrated in the accompanying drawings. The embodiments are only illustrative and should not be construed as to limit the ambit or scope of the invention in any way.

Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings illustrates a preferred embodiment of the present invention. In the preferred embodiment, the vehicle is a van generally referenced by the numeral 100. The sterile surgical section is generally referenced by the numeral 104 and the non-sterile section is generally referenced by the numeral 102. The sterile surgical section 104 and the non-sterile section 102 are partitioned by means of a slidable door 114. The non-sterile section 102 contains the wash basin, water closet, overhead water tank, handheld shower, waste collection boxes and work station. The wash basin is indicated by numeral 112. The seat or delivery chair 106 is positioned proximal to the slidable door 114. The cooled medicine cabinet and the air-tight medical equipment cabinet (shown by numeral 110) are positioned beside the seat 106. An adjustable directed light 117 is provided to allow the medical practitioner/gynaecologist to monitor the patient, or effect the childbirth. The sterile surgical section 104 and the non-sterile section 102 is further illuminated by roof lights 116. A sun roof 121 may be provided for allowing natural light. The IV hook 105 is fixed at the roof of the sterile surgical section 104, just above the seat 106. The oxygen cylinder 108 may be positioned about the wall of the vehicle housing. Foldable seating benches (109a & 109b) are provided proximal to the entry/exit for accommodating nurses, midwives or close relatives of the patient. A slidable door 122 is provided between the seating benches 109 and the sterile surgical section 104 for defining a private area. An extendable ramp 118 at the entry/exit allows the patient to be brought in on a wheelchair or stretcher.

Figure 2 of the accompanying drawings illustrates another preferred embodiment of the present invention. In this preferred embodiment, the vehicle is a van generally referenced by the numeral 200. The sterile surgical section comprises the seat or delivery chair 206; the backside of the seat 206 touching the driver's cabin wall 214. The seat 206 comprises side rails and a placenta tray, indicated by numeral 212. A baby warmer 213 is positioned adjacent to the seat 206. A suction machine 211 is positioned below the baby warmer 213. An oxygen cylinder 208 is positioned along the wall. The cooled medicine cabinet and the air-tight medical equipment cabinet (shown by numeral 210) are positioned beside the seat 206. An adjustable directed light 217 is provided to allow the medical practitioner/gynaecologist to monitor the patient, or effect the childbirth. The sterile surgical section is further illuminated by roof lights 216. The IV hook 205 is fixed at the roof of the sterile surgical section, just above the seat 206. A overhead water tank 215 is provided along the roof of the vehicle housing. The housing comprises integrated overhead storage compartments 219 and plug sockets 220. A fire extinguisher 204 may be provided along another wall of the housing. The air conditioning vents 202 provide air conditioning and temperature control. A curtain rod 203 is provided to form a private space surrounding the seat 206. Foldable seating benches (209a & 209b) are provided proximal to the entry/exit for accommodating nurses, midwives or close relatives of the patient. An extendable ramp 218 at the entry/exit 201 allows the patient to be brought in on a wheelchair or stretcher. Throughout this specification the word "comprise", or variations such as "comprises" or "comprising", will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated element, integer or step, or group of elements, integers or steps, but not the exclusion of any other element, integer or step, or group of elements, integers or steps. The use of the expression "at least" or "at least one" suggests the use of one or more elements or ingredients or quantities, as the use may be in the embodiment of the invention to achieve one or more of the desired objects or results.

Embodiments of the present invention are applicable over a wide number of uses and other embodiments may be developed beyond the embodiments discussed heretofore. Only the most preferred embodiments and their uses have been described herein for purpose of example, illustrating the advantages over the prior art obtained through the present invention; the invention is not limited to these specific embodiments or their specified uses. Thus, the forms of the invention described herein are to be taken as illustrative only and other embodiments may be selected without departing from the scope of the present invention. It should also be understood that additional changes and modifications, within the scope of the invention, will be apparent to one skilled in the art and that various modifications to the construction described herein may fall within the scope of the invention.