Pakistan now among few countries producing their own ventilators: Fawad Chaudhry

Minister says eight to 10 ventilators to be handed over to NDMA next week

Federal Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry said on Sunday that the first batch of ventilators manufactured in Pakistan will be delivered to the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) in the coming week.

In a video statement, he said that Pakistan has joined the ranks of those few countries which are producing their own ventilators.

According to the minister, the ventilator is a "complicated machine and not a lot of countries in the world have the capacity to make this".

Federal Minister for Science & Technology @fawadchaudhry announced the launch of the first #MadeInPakistan ventilators. pic.twitter.com/vhYlrRpHs9

— Ministry of Science & Technology (@MinistryofST) June 28, 2020

The minister expressed hopes that the country would be able to meet its own need for ventilators and would also be able to export the equipment.

"When the first Covid-19 case was recorded in February 26, we were not producing anything. Within a few months, we have become capable of producing our own equipment," he said, congratulating the Pakistan Engineering Council, National Radio and Telecommunication Corporation (NRTC), scientists and technicians.

Chaudhry also tweeted earlier in the day, announcing that eight to 10 ventilators manufactured in the first batch will be delivered to the NDMA.

He said the next three designs are also in their final stages, after which Pakistan will be among the few countries in the world that manufacture complex medical machines, in accordance with European Union (EU) standards.

الحمدللہ #MadeInPakistan #ventilators کی پہلی کھیپ NDMA کو اس ہفتے حوالے ہو جائیگی، #NRTC کو بہت مبارک اگلے تین ڈیزائن بھی آخری مراحل میں ہیں جس کے بعد ہم دنیا کے ان چند ممالک میں شامل ہوں گے جو پیچیدہ میڈیکل مشینیں بناتے ہیں، یہ تمام مشینیں EU Standards کے مطابق ہیں

— Ch Fawad Hussain (@fawadchaudhry) June 28, 2020