The ventilator BAC385 is designed and produced by Bkav and doctors at the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases. — Photo courtesy of Bkav CEO

On his Facebook page, CEO Nguyen Tu Quang said: “Though there are only a few positive cases of COVID-19 in Viet Nam, the ventilator is to treat other acute respiratory illnesses at many health facilities across the country which still face a shortage of breathing equipment.”

According to the CEO, the BAC385 ventilator is being researched and tested at the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases before applying for permission from the Ministry of Health.

Quang also said besides self-designed machines, Bkav also completed a model based on the design of US-based medical and healthcare equipment company Medtronic. In early April, Medtronic announced it was offering a free design, detailed instructions and source code to help countries produce their own ventilators.

The CEO said his ventilators will be produced non-profit for anti-pandemic purposes and contribute to supporting countries in reducing the extent of damage caused by the pandemic.

BKAV's AI Technology Institute also predicted that COVID-19 will continue in the next nine months with 17 million infection cases. The next epicentre will be the US and Brazil.

In May, Vingroup completed two invasive ventilator models based on the design of PB 560 and donated 2,400 ventilators to Russia and Ukraine. — VNS