Hospitals to use robots

US hospitals are starting to use pharmacy robots designed to eliminate life-threatening medication errors, says UPI.

The Chicago hospital said it is the first in the Midwest to use the PillPick, a two-armed robot that places single doses of medication in small plastic bags marked with a bar code to identify the drug.

A nurse can scan the bar code on the medication bag along with the bar code on the patient's wristband. The computer will sound an alert and a pop-up warning will appear if it is the wrong drug or the wrong dose.

The Universal Electronic Payments System, E-Zwich, has been launched by President Kufuor at a ceremony in Accra, in Ghana, reports Ghana Broadcasting Corporation.

It is a plastic card with an electronic chip which can work both online and offline due to its biometric features. President Kufuor acknowledged that the technology is common among emerging and developing countries, and would therefore be beneficial to Ghana as it steadily progresses into middle income status.

He said E-Zwich should remove the cumbersome and insecure processes of using cash and further urged those responsible for the payment of wages and salaries to consider using it, to bring transparency and integrity to the payrolls.

The full roll-out of an integrated ticket for Dublin commuters will not happen until the end of 2010, almost eight years after it was first announced, says Independent.ie.

The smart card allowing Dublin commuters to use one ticket on bus, Luas and rail is expected to cost EUR49.6 million, the Department of Transport revealed yesterday.

The integrated system will be launched in September 2009 but only for Dublin Bus, Luas and Morton's Coaches - a private transport operator.