Locally produced ventilators to be used in COVID-19 battle

The Government yesterday said it is looking at scaling-up production of a locally made ventilator that can be produced at a lower-than-market cost.

The first such ventilator was handed over to Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday and will be used at a local hospital immediately, the Prime Minister’s Media Division said.

The ventilator was designed by Consumer Affairs Authority Directors Thushan Gunawardena and Viraj Perera and Chamika Gamage, electronics engineer from Moratuwa University.

According to designers, each unit is expected to cost between Rs. 15,000 to Rs. 18,000 and around 10 to 15 units can be produced daily.

According to the Prime Minister Media Division’s statement, designers pointed out that with the necessary facilities for production and a 10-man group, nearly 100 ventilators can be produced daily.

“Following the inspection of the design, the Prime Minister instructed officials to provide necessary arrangements to provide 200 units to hospitals with immediate effect,” it said.

The ventilator was developed based on a design from Turkey. The ventilator can be used for any age category, including infants. The unit can be used in an ambulance or any other motor vehicle and can be used up to seven hours with a single charge using 12-watt batteries.