Railways’ first low-cost ventilator production hits a hurdle

Sources said that the production unit informed Railway Board on Saturday that it was in talks with various vendors of the component and that the ventilator, named Jeevan, was working in stable condition in all vital parameters when tested with manometer, used to measure gas pressure.

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To send the ventilator to an independent testing facility for approval, a medical flow meter is a must, the General Manager of RCF Kapurthala Ravinder Gupta has informed, it is learnt. (Representational Image)

The process to send the first low-cost ventilator developed by Rail Coach Factory in Kapurthala for medical testing by an independent agency has hit a hurdle due to the unavailability of a flow meter.

Sources said that the production unit informed Railway Board on Saturday that it was in talks with various vendors of the component and that the ventilator, named Jeevan, was working in stable condition in all vital parameters when tested with manometer, used to measure gas pressure. However, to send the ventilator to an independent testing facility for approval, a medical flow meter is a must, the General Manager of RCF Kapurthala Ravinder Gupta has informed, it is learnt.

The RCF spoke to several vendors of the device and a few days ago one of them has given a delivery time of three weeks for the component, sources said.

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Two weeks ago, the production unit received accolades from the ministry and even minister Piyush Goyal’s office tweeted the achievement of having developed a low-cost ventilator for around Rs 10,000 made with materials available in the coach-making unit with its own design. Two vital components, the valve was sourced from Japanese firm SMC based in Noida while the Contribution Controller has been sourced from A Paul based in Okhla. The factory used emergency transit by road and rail in the middle of lockdown to get these parts delivered. A team of in-house doctors and engineers had okayed the efficacy of the prototype. At that time it was thought that ICMR would test the prototype but later on the production unit has learnt that there are other approved agencies for this kind of testing.

Before sending the prototype for outside testing, the production unit learned that a particular type of flow meter was necessary to serve as a visual indicator of the pressure with which the air is pumped in. The coach factory has developed the prototype with its own design as an “emergency ventilator” to be easily carried anywhere and plugged in. The device is assembled in a portable box.

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