Hyderabad airport gets UNICEF-funded mass fever screening system

Hyderabad's Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) has received a UNICEF-funded a mass fever screening system to further enhance the efficacy of screening of passengers in view of COVID-19 pandemic, the airport operator announced on Sunday.

The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, in coordination with the Asian Development Bank, has provided state-of-the-art thermal scanner funded by the UNICEF.

The system will be used by the officials of the Ministry at the airport.

The new thermal scanner is a ceiling mounted mass fever screening system capable of scanning, detecting and tracking febrile persons with elevated skin temperature. The system automatically adjusts and adapts to the surrounding ambient temperature without any human intervention.

With its Intuitive User Interface and Dual-Displays (Day camera + Infra-red) it provides easy identification of passengers with elevated temperature, while simplifying operations and minimizing handling.

The new thermal scanner imparts more control to the Hyderabad Airport Health Organization, along with the existing thermal scanners at the international arrivals, said GMR Hyderabad International Airport Limited (GHIAL).

The RGIA continues to handle the international relief flights under the government of India's largest offshore evacuation programme of Vande Bharat Mission (VBM).

All international arrival passengers and airline crew undergo mandatory health screening by the airport health officers to identify symptomatic passengers to contain the spread of COVID 19 and provide necessary medical assistance to such passengers.

"We are thankful to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in having this modern equipment installed at the Hyderabad International Airport. We are grateful to the sponsors ADB and UNICEF for this humane gesture. With this facility, it makes the task of the health officials who serve at the airport round the clock, a little more easy," said radeep Panicker, CEO, GHIAL.

"The new top-end mass fever scanner at Hyderabad International Airport enhances our efficiency multi-fold. With the help of the intuitive technology we are able to screen passengers effectively. The system alerts us if any passenger is found with high temperature, without disturbing passenger movement and throughput," said Anuradha Medoju, Senior Regional Director, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, Health and Family Welfare.

The airport has handled about 40,000 international arrivals passengers amid the COVID-19 pandemic from May till date.

The airport has kept the international arrivals and the entire stretch right from the aerobridge to the arrivals ramp fully sanitized and fumigated, this includes - sanitization of every nook and corner of building and public areas including aerobridges, washrooms, chairs, counters, trolleys, railings, doors, lifts, escalators, baggage belts etc.

It also enforced the social distancing among passengers right from the aerobridge to across the terminal.