We were so delighted and proud when the news broke of the prototype of a new ventilator designed by the engineering department of Al Quds University on April 1st. It was in response to the outbreak of coronavirus in the region and the realisation that there were only 180-200 ventilators in the occupied Palestinian territories (including the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem) for a population of millions.
Importing large numbers of ventilators would have been difficult and costly which was why the university engineers designed their own.
Some parts were near-impossible to obtain but the designers improvised and were fortunate to find what they needed in the Palestinian market. The finished design is fully computerised, low cost and it provides different breathing support modes & can serve in ICUs, ERs & field treatment centers.
Now that the prototype has been approved by the Palestinian Standards Institute (PSI) the Professors & seniors in Al Quds University labs are working around the clock to deliver the first batch of ventilators to Palestinian hospitals.
The full story can be read from the university’s own website here.
The international press have also been keen to take up the story, such as Le Figaro, Tekk TV, Asharq Al-Awsat and Yahoo News
