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COVID-19: Weapons maker Pindad develops ventilators, protective gear
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State-owned weapon manufacturer Pindad president director Abraham Mose (right) accompanies Regional Representatives Council (DPD) Speaker La Nyalla Mahmud Mattalitti (second left) and DPD member Eni Sumarni (third left) on April 20 to inspect a manual resuscitator ventilator developed by the company. (Photo courtesy of Pindad/Pindad)
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tate-owned weapons manufacturer Pindad has developed several medical devices and equipment to boost the country's capacity in the fight against coronavirus amid great demand of supplies in view of the rising number of COVID-19 cases.
One of the devices is the Pindad VRM, a manual resuscitator ventilator, and Covent-20, a kind of portable ventilator specifically designed for emergency, such as when patients are being transported in ambulances.
The others are disinfectant fog canons, available in three sizes and installable on vehicles to spray disinfectant up to 10 meters far, and mobile disinfection chambers.
All the devices were about to be tested at the Health Facility Security Center (BPFK) before entering mass production, Pindad deputy secretary Herryawan Roosdyanto said.
The prototypes were showcased to Regional Representatives Council (DPD) Speaker La Nyalla Mahmud Mattalitti and DPD member Eni Sumarni during a work visit to the company's headquarters in Bandung, West Java, on Monday.
"Pindad is currently in the process of requesting a feasibility test at the Health Facility Security Center," Herryawan said in a statement made available to The Jakarta Post on Monday evening.
The company also produced hazmat suits, safety goggles and face shields to address the lack of personal protective equipment (PPE) for medical workers handling coronavirus patients in hospitals across the country, he said.
Read also: Raw materials coming from India to produce COVID-19 medicine
All of the devices and equipment were developed in accordance with World Health Organization (WHO) standards, including the disinfectant in the mobile disinfection chamber, according to Pindad.
"The [disinfectant liquid] is safe, toxic free, contains no alcohol and is pH neutral, because the WHO is concerned about carcinogenic substances," Herryawan said.
In the meantime, Pindad's disinfectant fog cannon had been installed on vehicles belonging to the Bandung Fire and Disaster Mitigation Agency to spray disinfectant on the streets in the West Java provincial capital.
The lack of protective gear and supplies has taken a toll on healthcare workers around the world, including in Indonesia, where dozens of nurses and doctors working on the front lines of the coronavirus battle have reportedly been infected by the fast-spreading virus.
Indonesia has been struggling to meet demand for medical equipment and protective gear for healthcare workers as the number of infections continues to surge.
The Health Ministry announced 375 new coronavirus cases in the country on Tuesday, bringing the total number of infections nationwide to 7,135. The death toll has reached 616 so far, making Indonesia the country with the highest number of COVID-19 fatalities in Southeast Asia.
At least 24 doctors and 16 nurses have died from the disease since Indonesia's first two coronavirus cases were announced on March 2, according to the Indonesian Association of Doctors and the Indonesian National Nurses Association. (vny)
