In early 2020, Corona Lim conceived the idea of designing an emergency mobile medical vehicle, which can be used as a movable medical facility in large-scale pandemic outbreaks. The idea for his invention was principally inspired by the 2002 SARS outbreak and the recent Covid-19 pandemic.

Corona’s mobile medical facility – named the Medical and Testing Station (MATS) – is essentially a 15-tonne truck that opens up to become a mass testing and medical treatment facility. Such a facility – which can be deployed in a matter of hours and is capable of treating mild to severe symptoms of viruses for up to 200 patients at any one time – is extremely useful where hospitals are overwhelmed, and immobile patients are unable to travel to hospitals. Medical testing supplies and services can therefore be deployed in the event of a major pandemic outbreak.

To help him build his MATS vehicle, Corona approached Jack Neo, an entrepreneur whose business is in the manufacture of emergency road vehicles, such as ambulances. Over several meetings, Corona discussed his mobile medical facility with Jack and also shared the design specifications and technical drawings for the vehicle. Unfortunately, negotiations broke down along the way and the parties fell out.

Then, in early February 2021, Corona was surprised to read in media reports that The Tan Ah Kow Hospital was to unveil its “Mobile Medical Vehicle” in June 2021 at a medical conference in Singapore. The emergency mobile medical and treatment vehicle – could be transformed into a medical facility within hours and treat up to 250 patients at any one time for varying severity of symptoms. It transpires that The Tan Ah Kow Hospital had earlier approached Jack in June 2020 to help them build this vehicle for medical use and that the vehicle had been deployed in several neighborhoods in Singapore since August 2020.

Corona was highly disturbed by this development because it was clear to him that Jack had made use of his idea, design specifications, and technical drawings for the MATS vehicle. Corona also noticed that Jack’s version of the MATS vehicle has a transport configuration no larger than about 65 percent of the maximum size limit for transportation over a roadway on which the unit
is deployed.

Corona then decided to file a patent application for his MATS invention with the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS) on 1 March 2021. Corona was granted a patent on 1 March 2022. Apart from The Tan Ah Kow Hospital, Jack continues to design and build similar emergency mobile medical vehicles for other organizations and corporate entities. In fact, the latest order was just delivered by Jack on 1 May 2022.

The MATS invention is essentially a road vehicle that carries a box-shaped compartment with an enclosure for housing medical supplies and equipment. The facility includes a healthcare area that is interchangeable between a first transportable configuration and a second, operational configuration. In the operational configuration, the health care area is expanded and capable of providing general care or testing facilities to multiple patients as well as registration and consultation. The health care area in the transport configuration is no larger than about 80 percent of the maximum size limit for transportation over a roadway on which the unit is deployed.
The concept for the MATS vehicle was conceived after Corona’s own observations and recollection of emergency vehicles as well as makeshift hot dog stands and fast-food vans.
Further research reveals that a certain medical scientist, Dr. Viral, who lived through the Spanish Flu pandemic had published a commentary in 1920 in The Old Straits Times, which lamented the lack of mobile medical facilities and suggested the mounting of a modest medical facility on a 1-tonne land rover. Dr. Viral’s commentary is now stored on microfilm in the National Archives of Singapore.

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