A sharp surge in Covid-19 cases in the latest wave has fuelled demand for ventilators from across States, including the worst-hit Maharashtra, Punjab and Gujarat. This is fuelling innovation in the lifesaving breathing devices to make it convenient and economical for the patients.

Vadodara-based Max Ventilator is working on two such alternatives to provide better survival chances at an economical rate. Founder and CEO of Max Ventilator, Ashok Patel, said there has been a 40 per cent jump in demand for ventilators in the past less than a month.

In order to expand its portfolio, the company is also looking to provide alternative products to ventilators.

“We have recently launched a High Flow oxygen Therapy (HFOT) device which not only gives nearly 100 per cent chances of survival, but also entails less operating costs than a traditional ventilator. It can be a great option for a patient,” he added.

The company also plans to launch a cutting edge technology-based turbine ventilator called WeanX, which is targeted for tier-I and -II markets.

Private, govt hospitals

In pre-Covid-19 times, Patel saw mostly private hospitals as his regular customers, but the share of private and government hospitals equalised during the Covid period last year. “But again during the second wave, demand from government hospitals has seen an increase,” he said.

The second wave has fuelled the demand for critical care ICU ventilators.

“Although the second wave is unfortunate, we had a ready-to-deliver inventory of about 300-350 ventilators, of which about 250 ventilators have already been sold and we expect to sell the remaining 100 in the next 10 days,” said Patel.

The company has monthly production capacity of about 1,000 ventilators. Commenting on supply and inventory management, Patel said the surge in the demand, was not totally unexpected, though it came abruptly.

The company's major markets are Gujarat, Maharashtra, Kerala, Karnataka and West Bengal, with Assam being a recent addition.

Max, according to Patel, is gearing up to take on imported ventilators, which are delicate to handle with high maintenance requirements. Made in India, Max ventilators are more robust, easy to handle and made entirely keeping in mind conditions specific to India, Patel said.

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