Almost two months later than announced, Mexico’s President Andrés Manuel López Obrador presented the first prototypes of the ventilators produced by the CONACyT, scientists, and researchers, as well as national and foreign companies, with which – he said – the country will be self-sufficient regarding this kind of equipment to face the COVID-19 pandemic.
They are two prototypes that were presented yesterday morning at the daily news briefing of the President at the National Palace.
Since last April 23, the CONACyT had said that starting on May 15, there would be 700 ventilators manufactured by it, but the delivery date was not met.
President López Obrador said that “the good news” is that they have already designed a ventilator with Mexican technology.
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“A ventilator made in Mexico , which means that we will be self-sufficient in this equipment that is basic. We did not have them; we were able to get them in the toughest moments thanks to international solidarity.”
The president said that this technology is the result of the work of researchers and scientists at CONACyT who worked jointly with other researchers in the country and with national and foreign companies so that this kind of equipment is available in hospitals.
María Elena Álvarez-Buylla, the director of the National Council of Science and Technology (CONACyT), announced that the two ventilators the organization helped design, the “Ehécatl 4T” and “Gätsi,” are now currently in mass production, which will help, she said, to face the COVID-19 pandemic; moreover, these ventilators represent the birth of a national industry that will save lives.
At the morning news briefing led by President López Obrador, the CONACyT director said that MXN $259,891,592 was invested in the creation of the two ventilators .
“They are two ventilators; two models; one is 100% by the Mexican state, with a patent, the first of its kind for this kind of equipment, the “Ehécatl 4T,# and the other, the “Gätsi,” was in collaboration of a company; it is also a piece of high-specialty equipment and both have a high level of quality biomedical security.
“For far less than what it would have cost to buy a thousand ventilators , we are already mass-producing 500 units of each of them; it would have cost much more to purchase them abroad, even from national companies.”
“Scientific sovereignty and technological independence is the way this administration responds to challenges; in particular, we are seeing the birth of a national enterprise, a national industry to save lives,” she added.
She also said that this means there can be a non-profit production of invasive ventilators in Mexico , less expensive than those imported, an accelerated production for emergencies, as well as high standards in biomedical security, engineering quality, and the articulation of national capacities.
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“In front of the many challenges entailed by this disease, the COVID-19 , the President told the CONACyT to focus priority efforts in developing this kind of high-specialty equipment, that is essential and strategic.”
Back in April, María Elena Álvarez-Buylla announced that by May 15, the CONACYT would finish assembling 700 ventilators that would be installed in hospitals treating patients infected with COVID-19.
“We expect to have 700 ventilators by the first weeks of May, which is the time when the epidemiological peak is expected. There have been collaborations with different industries in an emerging program of innovation, manufacture, and assembly in order to build an environment of emerging innovation promoted by the CONACYT to face this challenge,” she said.
“Their manufacture will conclude on May 15 and we are preparing the logistics with a command center to install them in hospitals and train doctors as soon as possible; the idea is for them to be assembled on May 15 and installed in hospitals a few days later,” she said.
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