AS the number of Covid-19 cases continues to increase, South African made ventilators have gone into production.
In what is a first for the African continent, these life-saving machines will be ready in a few weeks’ time.
These ventilators will complement the existing stock in the public and private healthcare industry and additional purchases of ventilators from global manufacturers, and donations received from other countries.
“Given the enormous global shortage of ventilators, a few months ago we started the National Ventilator Project (NVP), with the aim of rapidly facilitating local development and manufacturing of thousands of non-invasive ventilators,” Trade, Industry and Competition Minister Ebrahim Patel said on Friday.
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This development comes after an intense few months during which prototypes were designed, developed and tested, while adhering to very strict technical and safety specifications.
The South African Radio Astronomy Organisation (SARAO), responsible for one of the world’s largest science initiatives, the Square Kilometre Array radio-astronomy project, put together an experienced team, led by Professor Rob Adam, to manage the process.
Approval for the ventilators was given by the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA), which conducts stringent testing to ensure compliance with the highest levels of safety.
Funding mechanisms to speed-up the process made significant progress in the past month.
In the space of four months, South Africa has gone from not producing any ventilators at all, to having the first units in production.
Caxton Local Media Covid-19 reporting
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