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Belgrade: The Mihajlo Pupin Institute and the company Smart Research produced the first Serbian respirator, a device that helps patients when their lungs cannot function.
Source: Tanjug
Illustration: Depositphotos / paulvinten
These are five prototypes, which must be certified and only then start production.
During the coronavirus epidemic, the respirator is the most sought after medical device on the world market.
The first Serbian respirator was manufactured in record time, in one month, and the project was supported by the Innovation Activity Fund with 5.54 million dinars through a public call.
The presentation of the Serbian device for mechanical ventilation at the “Mihajlo Pupin” Institute was attended by the Minister of Innovation and Technological Development, Nenad Popović, who said that this was a victory for the Serbian mind and Serbian engineering.
He stressed that Serbian engineers managed to do what could only be bought abroad so far.
“They managed to make two models with little money that they received in support of the Serbian government. They proved that Serbia deservedly holds the title of innovation leader in Central and Southern Europe,” said Popovic.
The respirators produced are intended primarily for the Serbian health system, but the production could also have export potential to the region, because no one in this part of Europe has developed that technology.
“Serbia’s future lies in innovations and new technologies. Our engineers are among the best in the world,” said Popovic.
The director of the Mihajlo Pupin Institute, Sanja Vraneš, says she is proud of the Institute’s engineers who managed to make a respirator in a short time.
He says that the Institute has always worked at critical moments on projects of national importance for the army, the police and, for the first time, they work in the medical field.
“In the future, if there is an epidemic, we will be covered in domestic memory, not only with tests and masks, but also with respirators,” he emphasized.
The idea for the production of respirators came from the electrical engineer Ognjen Ristic, who saw at the beginning of the epidemic that it was impossible to acquire respirators on the world market.
“We are a human society and we all should have the opportunity to fight. A respirator is the ultimate measure of help when the lungs can no longer perform their function,” he said.
He says the Serbian respirator is made according to modern principles around the world and that it supports invasive and non-invasive ventilation regimes.
The Serbian respirator must be certified by the Agency for Medicines and Medical Devices (ALIMS) for use in hospitals.
The engineer of the Institute “Mihajlo Pupin”, Vladimir Nesic, says that the devices are also ready for that.
“We have created a device that can stand alongside the world’s leading brands. We are opening the door to a new branch of the industry, which is the production of medical equipment,” he said.
Smart Research company co-founder Marko Panić says they have been cooperating with the Mihajlo Pupin Institute for two years, and that his company is engaged in the production and development of biochemical laboratory devices.
The company also applied to the Innovation Activities Fund for the development of the Serbian respirator and received 5.54 million dinars for the development of five prototypes of devices for automatic mechanical ventilation with positive pressure.
The Fund for Innovation Activities approved 53 million dinars to finance 12 innovative business projects aimed at suppressing the effects of the coronavirus pandemic.
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