- The electrical engineer told EFY Group that the design has been borrowed from an Indian army’s ex-captain
- He is hopeful that if mass-produced, the costs can be brought down by a couple of thousand rupees
- International and national MNCs have reached him for the design, but he is waiting to hear from DRDO and Indian government
- All the components used in this medical ventilator have been sourced from India
- Medical ventilators are termed as essential life saving medical devices in the fight against Coronavirus
COVID 19 outbreak has made medical ventilators an essential life-saving device. Medical professionals and paramedics have noted breathing problems as one of the major signs of being corona positive.
The irony is the fact that not just India, a lot of other countries in the world are facing a shortage of these, and while players from the electronics and non-electronics industries have joined hands to manufacture these on a large scale, the cost remains a big factor. So much so that depending on brands and complexity, these range from Rs 1.5 lakh a piece to several lakhs apiece.
A 65-year old electronics engineer taking account of the situation has come up with a portable ventilator design that costs Rs 15,000 per piece. The engineer informed that the price of these ventilators can be further brought down, if these were mass manufactured!
“This ventilator is portable and has the basics of operations. Among all the parts we used, only the motor is electrical. We want to help the nation in this emergency with this product,” noted Vikas Vasudeo Chaitanya, the engineer behind the ventilator.
India’s Corona count has exceeded a lakh today. Out of these 1,00,000 people who have tested positive for Corona, nearly 3,000 have died!
Not supposed to earn anything by selling these
Chaitanya pointed out that the design of this ventilator was handed over to him by an ex-army captain. Remembering his name as Captain Bharucha, he said I met him for only ten minutes and he agreed to share the design on conditions of not making profits out of the same.
“Captain Bharucha developed the design of this ventilator when he was working with the Indian Army. He sold these a Rs 30,000 apiece. His only condition while signing the MoU with us was that we sell this on a no-profit basis,” added Chaitanya.
This medical ventilator uses approximately 137 components. Out of these only one is electrical – the motor. The same has also been certified by Andhra Pradesh Medtech Zone.
Rs 15,000 per piece
The cost that Chaitanya now plans to retail these is Rs 15,000. This cost is nearly half of what captain Bharucha was retailing these at! The difference, as noted by Chaitanya, is because of the help he got from his circle.
“A lot of my friends from Aurangabad’s industrial hub helped me in developing this medical ventilator. I don’t think it would have been possible if the lockdown was not in place,” explained Chaitanya.
He further mentioned that most of my friends were sitting idle due to lockdown. We saw this as an opportunity to help the country amid this pandemic.
“If there was no lockdown, this medical ventilator would not have been possible,” exclaimed Chaitanya.
National to international companies
The 65-year-old electrical engineer further highlighted that a lot of MNCs, including ones from India, as well as abroad have reached him for the design. However, he is waiting to hear from the government of India about the developments.
“We have had brief discussions with DRDO. Now we are waiting to hear what the government has to say about the same. A lot of doctors we gave demos to were very excited about the product,” noted Chaitanya.
Chaitanya sees a good use of these in rural areas of India. He explained that the ventilator can be used with or without electricity.
“Many rural areas in India lack medical essentials. I think this ventilator can be the game-changer in such areas and areas where electricity supply is a problem,” added Chaitanya.
This ventilator might also find a place in India’s export list of medical electronics and essentials. Many countries in the world, especially the ones falling in Afric and South America, might find these as life-saving devices.
Components to design: Everything in India
Chaitanya explained that everything, from design to components, used in the development of this 12 kg ventilator, is sourced from India. He also highlighted that the cost of the same can be brought down by a couple of thousand Rupees if mass manufacturing takes place.
“We have sourced everything used in developing these from the local markets. I am positive that if mass manufacturing of these ventilators takes place, the cost will be lesser than even Rs 15,000,” added Chaitanya.
Reported by – Mukul Yudhveer Singh
