Morocco, Begin Mass Production of Ventilators

By Richard Adorsu-

Photo Credit: Hitvibz

NEW AFRICA BUSINESS NEWS (NABN) Accra, Ghana- MOROCCO, Industry Ministry has confirmed mass production of its own ventilators with oxygen masks, with 500 expected to be ready by mid-April to help meet demand caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The North African kingdom has confirmed 1,431 cases of the novel Corona Virus, including 105 deaths, and is seeking to raise the number of its intensive care beds to 3,000 from 1,640.

The pandemic has led to a global shortage of ventilators and other medical equipment. Morocco has asked aeronautics and electronics suppliers in the country to develop and manufacture both non-invasive ventilators, where an oxygen mask is secured over the patient’s face, and invasive models where a tube feeds oxygen straight to a sedated patient’s lungs. “We use locally supplied material available here and we will continue to produce ventilators depending on Morocco’s needs and the entire Continent,” said Badre Jaafar, Director of SERMP, a Casablanca-based company that supplies parts to French aircraft engine maker Safran. It worked with a group of other companies, coordinated by the Industry Ministry and with help from the Health Ministry and other public bodies.

The government, which has imposed a lock down to slow the spread of the disease, said last month it had allocated $200 million to buy equipment and medicine to prepare for the crisis. Doctors and engineers from public institutions helped design the non-invasive ventilator that is already under production, capable of 3,000 hours of use, and the Health Ministry approved the design. They are now working to develop an invasive ventilator.

Morocco has around 140 aeronautics suppliers that employ more than 10,000 people and last year exported $1.58 billion of parts to companies including Boeing and Airbus. Neither the ministry nor the companies have said how much investment has been required or on what commercial terms the ventilators are being manufactured. The ministry said it had instigated the project but the private sector is now leading it. “I hope this will be a launch pad for the medical industry in the country,” Jaafar said.

Current Outbreak of Coronavirus (COVID-19) Disease- Coronavirus advisory information, World Health Organization & United States, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Coronaviruses (CoV) are a large family of viruses that cause illness ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-CoV). A novel coronavirus (nCoV) is a new strain that has not been previously identified in humans.

Coronaviruses are zoonotic, meaning they are transmitted between animals and people.  Detailed investigations found that SARS-CoV was transmitted from civet cats to humans and MERS-CoV from dromedary camels to humans. Several known coronaviruses are circulating in animals that have not yet infected humans.

Common signs of infection include respiratory symptoms, fever, cough, shortness of breath and breathing difficulties. In more severe cases, infection can cause pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome, kidney failure and even death.

Standard recommendations to prevent infection spread include regular hand washing, covering mouth and nose when coughing and sneezing, thoroughly cooking meat and eggs. Avoid close contact with anyone showing symptoms of respiratory illness such as coughing and sneezing. Source- WHO

who.int/emergencies

Coronavirus Q&A, World Health Organization

who.int/news-room

Coronavirus condition overview, World Health Organization

who.int/health-topics

United States, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov