Coronavirus in India: Anand Mahindra to Produce low Cost Frugal Ventilators

Frugal ventilators are becoming realistic to counter COVID 19 – Mahindra's brainchild:

As a response to its commitment to fight against COVID 19, Mahindra & Mahindra, with two public sector units, work with the existing manufacturer of high spec ventilators. Mahindra ideates simplified design and advise to scale up the capacity. Anand Mahindra, the Chairman, has announced that the company would help in all possible ways to counter the dreadful disease and as a response to it the interim lifesavers. Therefore the ventilators come at a price of Rs 7500 as against the sophisticated ventilators, which cost around Rs 5 lakh to Rs 10 lakh.

Pawan Goenka, MD, Mahindra & Mahindra tweeted, "the Chairman is overwhelmed with the support from individuals and companies praising its effort of making frugal ventilators. Our engineering team was working with the existing manufacturer and opined on the design simplification and scaling up the capacity. This idea, when implemented, will bring the cost of the ventilator down to Rs 7500, which serves the crying need of the hour."

The company is also working on Bag Valve Mask Ventilator 9known as Ambu bag). Plans are in place to let the prototype out in three days and on approval, the design will be made available to all for manufacturing in line with increasing the scale. "COVID 19 is reaching the third stage, and the company is planning to manufacture ventilators in all its factories. I have decided to offer 100% of my salary and requesting my group to react to this crisis immediately," said Anand.

The company also announced to use their resorts as make-shift health care facilities, and the team would help the government to erect the same. The Mahindra Foundation will create a fund to assist the hardest kit. The company urges all its employees to contribute to the hardest hit and work together to counter the dreadful disease. For the next few months, the company's Chairman is planning to contribute 100% of his salary.