Higher Education Mutual Cooperation To Create Portable Ventilators Is The Hope To Reduce Death

Ventilator photo illustration (Source: truthout.org)

JAKARTA - Chairman of the Task Force for the Acceleration of Handling COVID-19, Doni Monardo, said several universities had conducted research to produce ventilators needed to treat positive COVID-19 patients in Indonesia.

Later, ventilators or domestically made respiratory aids will help the COVID-19 referral hospital. However, there are notes. The ventilator must first meet the health standards of the Ministry of Health (Kemenkes).

"For ventilators, several universities have conducted research on ventilators which in turn can help hospitals and the Task Force will fully support them," Doni said in a teleconference with reporters, Monday, April 6.

Minister of Research and Technology (Menristek) Bambang Brodjonegoro also agreed about this domestically-made ventilator. He said the team led by the Agency for the Assessment and Application of Technology (BPPT) is currently making portable ventilators while waiting for the imported goods to arrive.

"The team led by BPPT is currently in the stage of making portable ventilators that have been tested among doctors. Currently it is being tested by the Ministry of Health. And after this it is tested in hospitals," Bambang said in a press conference broadcast on the YouTube BNPB account. .

Bambang predicts that in the next two weeks, the portable ventilator can be produced in large numbers and help non-ICU patients who need ventilator assistance. "Of course, the more important thing is that the TKDN (Domestic Component Level) of this portable ventilator is almost 100," said the Minister of Research and Technology.

Ventilator (Source: truthout.org)

The cause of the high mortality

Previously reported, Indonesia is currently experiencing a shortage of medical equipment in the form of personal protective equipment and ventilators in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In response to this, President Joko Widodo asked that the procurement of medical devices be carried out immediately and even asked Indonesia to make ventilators and not only rely on imports.

Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs (Menkopolhukam) Mahfud MD also confirmed the lack of ventilators in Indonesia to help treat COVID-19 patients in severe conditions. He said, the existence of ventilators is currently being contested around the world after the corona virus pandemic.

"Not only PPE, but ventilators are also being fought over. In the world, we are currently working on it because it is not enough," said Mahfud some time ago.

The former Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court (MK) said that the scarcity of ventilators was also the cause of the high death rate due to COVID-19 because many patients could not get respiratory assistance.

"Well, we are currently bringing in, many abroad who also did not get a ventilator. Earlier we read, many data from abroad also did not get a ventilator," he concluded.