Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Bauchi has invented locally made ventilators and soft ware application for testing and treatment of coronavirus.
A team of engineers at the University invented a prototype of what looks like a ventilator and a fabricated aerosol box that can be used to protect Medical Doctors and other medical personnel treating a coronavirus positive patient from being infected.
The university also invented an automatic spraying machine that could spray anyone going in and coming out of a room without physical contact.
Taking journalists round the mechatronics engineering laboratory of the University, the Vice Chancellor of ATBU, Professor Muhammad Ahmad Abdulazeez said the University’s team of engineers were concerned about the dreaded coronavirus and inadequate medical consumables in Nigeria, hence the invention.
He said ATBU being a university of technology and one of the country’s hub for innovation felt the need to support the federal government through innovative approaches to addressing the scourge of the virus.
The Vice Chancellor said ATBU was responsive in order to support the government address the high cost of procuring modern ventilators “which are not even available in the markets”.
He said the university’s invention was to help in the treatment of COVID-19, Lassa fever and other infectious diseases.
“We decided to deepen research to be able to help our governments at all levels confront this virus squarely”, he said.
The VC said with proper funding and support, the ATBU will produce the ventilators in numbers and support the Bauchi State since the ventilators were not many in the state.
“And I’m confident that these machines can stand the test of time by doing the needful.
“We are not in this to make profit but to contribute to the fight against infectious diseases particularly COVID-19 and Lassa fever”.
“Although ASUU is on strike, but they asked some of their members to be involved in this innovation, so that we can solve the problem confronting us”.
The lead researcher involved in the research, Engr. Faisal Sani Bala who led the team of researchers in fabricating the ventilators hopes that government will support the University to produce more of them.
Engr. Faisal said it high time universities in Nigeria intensify researches that address immediate human problems, noting that such kinds of innovations are cost effective and are capable of making immediate impact.
High respect to the prestigious university Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU) a.k.a Makera. You have shown your capacity as a leading technology institution in the Nation.