Two months back, Makerere University through its School of Public Health together with Kiira Motors Corporation and the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation embarked on making a low cost ventilator.
The main aim of this was to give breathing support to COVID-19 patients whose numbers were expected to rise and exceed the available number of ventilators in different hospitals.
The ventilator prototype was ready by the end of April and it passed through various test until yesterday when it finally succeeded the engineering test.
According to a source from the Emergency Care Research Institute website, a global medical equipment testing institute, ventilators tests include testing for the lamps, pressure gauge, battery checks, power loss checks audible and visual alarms and.nd positive end-respiratory pressure (PEEP) control. The Makerere University ventilator passed all these tests.
Makerere University Vice Chancellor Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe attributed this success to the continued hardwork of the researchers together with the Kiira Motors technicians that played a big role up to when all the tests were finished and approved.
For the start, the professor says 4 more prototypes will be produced which will undergo clinical trials and will later be ready to be put into their right use.
