New Delhi: Ever since India started dealing with the Coronavirus pandemic, the country has faced a shortage of essential kits and medical equipment, forcing it to import from foreign suppliers. Simultaneously, the federal government has pushed its scientific labs to develop drugs and equipment for the treatment of COVID-19 patients.

National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL), India’s state-run aerospace research and development lab has developed a non-invasive ventilator in 36 days for COVID-19. Its unique features include continuous positive airway pressure and it can be connected to an oxygen concentrator or enrichment unit externally.

The ventilator developed at NAL has been certified for safety and performance by federal quality accreditation agencies, as well as undergone biomedical tests and beta clinical trials at NAL’s Health Centre.

The main advantage of the machine is that it is simple to use, without any specialised nursing features, and that it is cost effective. The ventilator is ideal for treating COVID -19 patients in hospital wards, make- shift hospitals, dispensaries, and at home, given the current scenario.

“Based on global experience and specific inputs from pulmonologists in India and abroad, NAL developed the Invasive Ventilator with an externally connected Oxygen concentrator which will be ideal to treat moderate or mid-stage severe COVID-19 patients who do not require incubation and invasive ventilation,” said Jitendra J Jadhav, Director of NAL.

Jadhav said NAL is in the process of taking it forward with regulatory authorities for the approval. The lab has already initiated dialogue with major public/private industries as a partner for mass production.

As of Tuesday, the caseload of COVID-19 cases mounted to 70,756, which included 22,455 recoveries and 2,293 deaths, according to data released by the federal Health and Family Welfare Ministry.