Sri Lankan designs ventilator that can simultaneously support four patients
April 2, 2020 01:29 pm
As the COVID-19 outbreak continues to affect hundreds of thousands across the world, the dire need for new equipment to fight the virus is increasingly rife.
Coronavirus patients need to be put on ventilator support for artificial respiration, however, with the soaring number of positive cases around the world, many countries are struggling with shortages of ventilators to support critical patients.
As a solution for this, a Sri Lankan nursing officer Bihan Haputhanthri, who is employed at the Coronary Care Unit (CCU) of Kandy National Hospital, has designed a ventilator that can provide mechanical ventilation to four patients simultaneously.
This new ventilator was presented to Minister of Health Pavithra Wanniarachchi today (02).
The new design, which costs Rs approximately Rs. 4 million, allows simultaneous ventilation support for four patients while preventing the spread of germs from one patient to another through an artificial respirator.
Head of Government Nursing Officers Association Saman Ratnapriya, Secretary to the Health Ministry Bhadrani Jayawardena, Additional Secretary Sunil de Alwis and several other officials were present at this event.
