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13 floors of high technology

Belo Horizonte, a city with the fourth largest GDP per capita in Brazil, needed to expand its residents’ access to hospital services. That’s why the city government launched the Dr Célio de Castro Metropolitan Hospital (HMDCC). Its 13 floors have a built area of 46 000 m², 451 beds, including 80 intensive care beds, and 16 operating theatres.

The hospital’s new video surveillance solution is designed to provide continuous monitoring of people and environments, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The system uses 276 cameras on every floor of the building.

The system helps in prevention, immediate response, and recording of various incidents that go beyond security, such as prevention of patient evasion. The plan is that in the future the cameras will integrate with Integras Gocil, an integrated platform to increase operational efficiency and intelligence in performing specific procedures.

AXIS P5532-E Network Camera.

IP operation

With a capacity for 2200 in-patient days per month, of which 1500 are surgical only, Dr Célio de Castro Metropolitan Hospital employs more than 1500 health professionals, plus support and logistics staff, which results in a large number of people on the premises, 24 hours a day. The fully digital video surveillance system uses Axis network cameras installed on all 13 floors of the building.

AXIS M1114-E Fixed Network Camera.

The hospital’s external accesses and parking areas use 53 AXIS M1114-E Fixed Network Cameras. “The model was chosen because the housing is IP66 classified. It has a varifocal lens that goes from 2.8 mm to 8 mm, which allows adjustment of the viewing angle to cover the widest range of scenes, and 1 MP resolution,” explains Rogério Thamer, Gocil’s director of technology.

These fixed cameras in outside areas and in the parking lot are supplemented by speed domes for complete coverage, enhanced viewing with 29x optical zoom and IP66 rating that offers cost-effective installation, since no external enclosure is required. Both the fixed and PTZ cameras are fed by Power over Ethernet, which requires only one cable for power, data transfer and controls.

AXIS M3005-V Network Camera.

AXIS M3005-V Network Cameras were installed in all interior spaces. This unit has a compact design that is resistant to vandalism – which is a common problem in places with large numbers of people but which in a hospital can have especially serious consequences.

With 2 MP resolution, the model offers Corridor Format, a vertically oriented video stream to provide good image quality for areas such as staircases, hallways etc. HMDCC uses a total of 197 cameras of this model.

AXIS M3007-P Network Camera.

The elevators also received special attention, with AXIS M3007-P Network Cameras offering fisheye lenses and 5 MP resolution. “We chose this model because it is very discrete and offers different view options: a 360° perspective and dewarped views such as panorama, double panorama and quad views, which allows us to analyse the image in detail,” says Thamer.

More than security

The video surveillance system is now able to handle various aspects of hospital operations, such as maintenance, cleaning, access control and parking services. Images are stored for 15-30 days depending on their resolution and level of interest.

“The system acts to prevent problems and enable immediate response and recording of a variety of incidents. For example, the images have already been used to prevent patient evasion, for real-time detection of parking lot intrusions, jumping the gate, and even illegal drug use, allowing security to respond immediately,” explains Thamer.

The images can also be used as evidence for operational indicators, such as recording trash collection at specified times, since the images show the actual collection. The images also provide support for needs of the cleaning department.

And in the future, the images managed using the Digifort software will be integrated into the Integras Gocil platform at the hospital’s command and control centre. The system will enable management of cameras, access control, and building automation over a single platform, increasing efficiency and standardising responses.

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