Virtual Reality lab launched in hospital

Lt. Governor hails efforts made to curb COVID-19

Lt. Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan commended the role played by the medical fraternity, the supporting departments and the public for bringing the COVID-19 pandemic under control in the Union Territory, at a time when it was rearing its head in many other States. Inaugurating a fully automated VR simulation lab at Pondicherry Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), Ms. Soundararajan revealed that Raj Nivas had convened a meeting of the COVID-19 task force every Thursday for 30 consecutive weeks to bring the disease under control. The coordinated efforts helped the Union Territory reach ‘zero COVID-19 case’ status a few weeks ago, she added. Hailing the revolutionary role of technology in modern medicine, the Lt. Governor exhorted medical students to keep themselves updated on the latest developments and engage more in research. According to a press note from PIMS, this was the first fully automated VR simulation lab in the country, installed by MediSimVR, a homegrown medical technology company based out of IIT-Madras, and Johnson & Johnson Innovation Labs. The VR lab, which was a marvel of cutting-edge technology and human engineering, would enhance the traditional training methodologies and provide institutions with Artificial Intelligence (AI)-powered competency assessment tools to understand and improve student performance. S. Mohan, Vice-Chancellor, Puducherry Technological University, M.M. Philip, chairman, Babu Daniel, principal advisor, PIMS managing committee and Renu G. Boy Varghese, Director-Principal, participated in the event.