The National Ventilator Project, driven by the country’s Department of Trade and Industry, hopes to start manufacturing ventilators before the end of April with the goal of locally producing at least 10,000 ventilators by the end of June.
The project also aims for the capacity to produce up to 50,000 more if needed.
Currently, the country has about 4,000 ventilators in its private hospitals and 2,000 in public ones.
Countries around the world are struggling with a shortage of ventilators, as COVID-19 attacks people’s lungs and in severe cases, they require assisted breathing. It’s been estimated that New York City, alone, needs 30,000 ventilators. However, country lockdowns and closed borders have disrupted global supply chains, making it difficult to get ventilators and the parts for countries to make them in house.
This will hit developing countries, including those in Africa, particularly hard because few have the capacity or expertise to manufacture them locally. Even South Africa, Africa’s most advanced economy, has traditionally only imported its ventilators.
Authorities fear its healthcare system will not be able to cope with large numbers of people requiring hospitalization and access to medical ventilators.
The call for proposals specifies the requirements for a non-invasive ventilation system.
In theory, that means a hood, with a seal around the neck or shoulders and straps that run under each arm. The hood’s supply system can be hooked up either to a free-standing oxygen bottle or the piped oxygen supply of a hospital. Exhaled air will be filtered for viruses, to prevent the further spread of the novel coronavirus in medical facilities.
Ideally, the system will not require electricity and all parts and materials to manufacture the systems must be easily available commercially or can be manufactured locally in South Africa.
