Nazifi Dawud

Bayero University Kano (BUK) has revealed plans to start producing medical ventilators to be deployed in hospitals and isolation centres for treatment of COVID-19 patients.

A ventilator is a machine that helps people who cannot breathe properly on their own by pumping air in and out of their lungs through a tube inserted into their windpipe.

One of the key symptoms of the COVID-19 is breathing difficulty, which is often life threatening for some of those infected with the virus, according to medical experts.

In a statement obtained by KANO FOCUS, the university said it has assembled a team of engineers to start fabricating the machines for use in Kano state.

“The University’s Faculty of Engineering had set up a seven-man committee with a view to producing prototype ventilators for an emergency use in our hospitals and other isolation centres as part of efforts to contain the pandemic which has been threatening the country.

“Following the discussions on the Faculty of Engineering Forum on the need to contribute our quota towards the fight against the COVID-19 Pandemic, a seven man Committee is hereby composed,” said the statement signed by the Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, Professor Salisu Dan’ azumi.

Mr Dan Azumi added that the committee, to be chaired by Professor Abdussamad U. Jibia from the Department of Mechatronics Engineering “is expected to design and fabricate a prototype ventilator which would be use as an emergency measures in our hospitals.”

He said the team has been given two weeks “to present a report to the Faculty Board including the design and construction of prototype ventilator for emergency use in hospitals and homes to treat patients of COVID 19 pandemic.”

The dean also revealed that “the committee was charged with the responsibility of suggesting the modality for mass production of the designed and fabricated ventilators. It would also give an estimate of the cost of producing the ventilators.”

Hand sanitizers also

Similarly, the university said it has mobilized its staff for the production of hand sanitizers for use within the institution as well as the larger Kano community.

Dr Ibrahim Tajo Siraj, head of Pure and Industrial Chemistry department said a number of academic staff have volunteered to participate in the project as part of their contribution towards preventing the spread of COVID-19.

Mr Siraj explained that the volunteers are currently in the laboratories formulating the sanitizers based on specifications provided by the World Health Organization.

“As you are aware, Universities were known to be serving as research centres where solutions are proffered for any problem facing the society, and now it is time to prove to this, hence, our decision to mobilize our members to the laboratories with a view to producing hand sanitizers as stop-gap measures,” he said.

“As you can see now, our scientists from the Department of Pure and Industrial Chemistry are currently in the laboratories mixing the chemicals to come up with a quality and standard hand sanitizers,” he added.