Gujarat doubles its ventilator capacity to fight Covid-19

As the world is facing a ventilator shortage in fight against coronavirus, a Rajkot-based company has come out with an indigenous solution and developed cost-effective ventilators on a war-footing. This has helped Gujarat double its ventilator capacity to fight the coronavirus pandemic.

“I am happy to announce that an industrialist from Rajkot has been successful in manufacturing ventilators in just 10 days. They designed it, made a prototype, procured parts and successfully built ventilators… It is being used on patients from Saturday,” Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani told reporters. 

Named ‘DHAMAN-1’ (blower that pumps the air), the ventilator has been developed by Jyoti CNC Automation Ltd, with the support of RHP Medicals. This ventilator is priced at Rs 1 lakh, as against Rs 6 lakh it would cost in the past. 

The Chief Minister also appreciated the Gujarati spirit to rise to the Covid-19 challenge. “When we have skills and big industries here, the Gujarat government decided to use it. Rajkot is considered an engineering hub. Small-scale industries of Rajkot supply engineering parts to NASA, ISRO, Railways and for defence production,” he said.

NeoRajkot Foundation, a not-for-profit organisation, has come forward to procure these ventilators and donate 1,000 ventilators to the Government of Gujarat to place them in various hospitals in the state. As of today, government hospitals in Gujarat have 1,061 ventilators.