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Slovakia’s hospitals are expected to receive 300 new lung ventilators. They will be delivered by the traditional producer of medical equipment, the company Chirana Medical from Stará Turá (Trenčín Region).
The lung ventilators, which will be necessary to save patients whose lungs do not work properly due to the coronavirus infection, should be delivered by late June, the SITA newswire reported.
Another contract in the pipeline
Chirana Medical will quadruple its production of these devices, said PM Igor Matovič (OĽaNO). He considers the latest agreement crucial for the fight against the coronavirus in Slovakia.
One new device will cost about €25,000, and the hospitals will receive them based on the coronavirus situation and technical preparation, SITA reported.
Chirana Medical is ready to stop all deliveries to its partners abroad. They usually export as much as 95 percent of their production.
Currently, Slovak hospitals have about 500 lung ventilators at their disposal. However, the updated model of the Institute for Health Policy suggests that Slovakia will need more than 1,000 such devices in early July.
Apart from the latest agreement with Chirana Medical, there is another contract in the pipeline. This should ensure that Slovakia will have enough lung ventilators in early July, including some reserves, said Health Minister Marek Krajčí (OĽaNO).
At the same time, they are training more medical staff, as reported by SITA.
Read more about the coronavirus outbreak in Slovakia:
- These are the measures currently in place in Slovakia
- How Slovakia prepared for the coronavirus
- Do I have the coronavirus? How to proceed if you have a suspicion
- More information about what the coronavirus is and how to protect yourself from the infection (WHO)
- Situation update on EU/EEA and the UK as of March 6 morning
- Q&A: State of emergency declared about coronavirus