UCL-Ventura CPAPs manufactured in Pakistan donated to countries in need

The CPAPs have been donated by the Pakistani government to countries such as Tajikistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and the Maldives in a gesture of humanitarianism and inter-country collaboration befitting the ethos of the UCL-Ventura initiative. UCL-Ventura devices are breathing aids that can help keep COVID-19 patients out of intensive care, developed by a team of UCL engineers, UCLH clinicians and industry partners Mercedes-AMG High Performance.

To contribute to the global humanitarian effort, the UCL-Ventura team released the full design and manufacturing instructions through a zero-cost license to establish local manufacturing hubs globally. In keeping with the humanitarian ethos of collaboration and knowledge transfer, the team developed a platform of technical, manufacturing and clinical support and worked with local teams including those in Pakistan.

The Alsons Group in Pakistan successfully gained in-country regulatory approval for their version of the UCL-Ventura CPAP device and have manufactured over 500 devices for use in hospitals.

300 of the breathing aids are now saving lives in hospitals across Pakistan with further devices distributed as part of humanitarian donations from the Pakistani government and going to Sri Lanka (150), Tajikistan (50), Nepal (30), the Maldives (30) and Bangladesh (20). Other devices have been distributed directly from the Alsons Groups to Malawi.

Akbar Allana, Director of Alsons Group said “I want to thank the fantastic team at UCL for providing us with the technical knowledge and support throughout this period. We hope we can contribute positively to the health and well-being of our fellow humans through this work.”

Find out more about the Alsons Group on their website here, in our previous spotlight article here or follow their Twitter here. 

The donations from the Pakistani government follow a pattern of humanitarian action across the globe throughout the UCL-Ventura initiative. For instance, over 1160 UCL-Venturas were distributed to India and 130 to Nepal in response to their recent surge in infections as part of the UK government’s emergency supplies (read more about India and Nepal’s donations here). Other UCL-Venturas have been philanthropically fundraised for and distributed by charities in Palestine and Uganda (read more about our partnerships with these charities here).