[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]At the height of the pandemic, NSW Premier, Gladys Berejiklian, appealed to businesses to pivot their focus to producing critical medical supplies in the fight against COVID-19.
The Premier said that global supply chains were disrupted, but thanks to local universities and manufacturers stepping up, they were able to join forces to develop prototype ventilators.
“Two ventilators are on track to receive regulatory approval within weeks and, if needed, can be produced for hospitals here and potentially overseas, saving lives and boosting jobs,” Ms Berejiklian said.
The Ventilator Innovation Project was part of the NSW Government’s $800 million investment to help increase services and equipment to combat COVID-19.
The NSW Government knows that having access to a ventilator can be the difference between life and death for severe COVID cases, which have become all too apparent in situations overseas.
In some of the worst-hit nations, health staff were forced to limit who could access ventilators – a situation the Government says is why NSW needs reliable local supply chains to safeguard patients.
Minister for jobs, Investment, Tourism and Western Sydney, Stuart Ayres, said the pandemic had inspired a wave of innovation and rapid development across the globe, and local manufacturers and universities had risen to the challenge.
“One thing history has shown us is that crises stimulate innovation and this pandemic has provided an environment for launching and testing new ideas,” Mr Ayres said.
“We congratulate the successful teams behind the CoVida Ventilator, led by the University of Sydney, with clinicians at Westmead and Royal North Shore Hospitals, and Ventasys, developed by AmpControl with clinicians at the John Hunter Hospital.”[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
