As COVID-19 cases reach a critical stage, India’s efforts to produce enough number of life-saving ventilators have found an unlikely ally—the automobile industry. Top car makers such as Maruti Suzuki, Tata Motors and Mahindra have entered the fray to manufacture ventilators to fight the battle against the novel coronavirus.
The move rides on the fear that COVID-19 cases may rise exponentially in the coming days. A Brookings Institute worst-case-scenario estimates that by next month, India may end up with more than two lakh COVID-19 patients who would require ventilator support.
This could be catastrophic, as there are less than half a lakh ventilators in India’s hospitals right now. Most of them already being used by critically ill patients.
Only a handful of Indian companies, such as AgVa in Delhi’s Karol Bagh, make them. The numbers are small and the cost can be as high as several lakhs per machine, with many of the components imported and requirement thus far limited to speciality hospitals dealing with critical care. Though companies like AgVa are ramping up production, the fear is that once the coronavirus pandemic moves into Stage 3 community transmission and numbers rise exponentially, the demand will far exceed the ramped up supply. AgVa is yet to respond to a query from The Week.
In the US, President Donald Trump last week made an executive order for General Motors (GM) to produce ventilators. The Indian government’s move has been on similar lines. After a meeting with top firms such as Maruti Suzuki and Mahindra Group, the heavy industries ministry issued a communique asking auto makers to step up to deal with the scarcity in ventilators.
“We are bringing in ventilators necessary and are gearing up to also manufacture the same soon in India,” said Tata Sons chairman N. Chandrasekaran, “The country is facing an unprecedented situation and crisis. All of us would have to do whatever it takes.”
Maruti Suzuki, on its part, will help AgVa to scale up production by helping source components through its vast network of suppliers, as well as helping in upgrading the company’s systems for higher volumes. Maruti has also offered to help AgVa out in financing, as well as getting the required approvals. “(Maruti) would provide these services free of cost to AgVa Healthcare,” a statement shared by the auto giant read, adding that the target is 10,000 ventilators.
Mahindra & Mahindra, on the other hand, has declared that it is working on a two-pronged approach. One is in helping out, a la Maruti, an existing ventilator maker to simplify their design and increase production.
“On the other end, we are working on an automated version of an ambu bag,” said M&M Managing Director Pawan Goenka. M&M Chairman Anand Mahindra called it a ‘game changer in quickly providing large numbers of low cost life savers, particularly when ICU ventilators are still scarce’.
“The company’s aim is to launch a super-specialised ventilator in the market that will cost just 7,500 rupees, while presently the cost runs into several lakhs.”
