Life-support Cuban-made technology helps critically ill patients by COVID-19

HAVANA, Cuba, Mar 25 (ACN) In all Intensive Care Units of Cuba, which attend COVID-19, there is medical equipment developed by Combiomed, which are vital in the monitoring of patients and life support, said Arlem Lesmes Fernandez, general director of that Havana entity.

The executive explained that at the beginning of the pandemic, the workers were involved in the repair of 90 pulmonary ventilators, together with other companies from the biopharmaceutical, industrial and educational sectors, due to the technological obsolescence of such equipment in the national health system.

He informed that in April, tests will begin on the first prototype of a high-performance pulmonary ventilator, a process that began a year ago and is the most complex equipment that Combiomed has designed so far, aimed at adult and critical patients.

In the medium term, the entity plans to diversify its lines of work with two lines of syringes and another for the manufacture of plastic utensils for molecular biology tests, while in the short term it is developing a Cuban anesthesia machine, with a view to substituting imports.

The general director affirmed that during the confrontation with COVID-19, maintenance and repairs have been carried out on nearly 16,000 life support and diagnostic support equipment.

On the other hand, he declared that they have contributed with more than 3,800 pieces of equipment in isolation centers, primary health care units, and now in the trials and studies of Cuban vaccine candidates.

Fernández emphasized the commitment of the workers and the certainty that Combiomed will continue to support technological sovereignty in the field of health, whose system has received more than 27,000 pieces of equipment from this entity in the last 15 years.

Founded at the initiative of Commander-in-Chief Fidel Castro, the company's initial objective was to develop the first Cuban computer in April 1970.