The University of Sierra Leone with support from Ing. Amara Tunkara on Thursday June 18, 2020, unveiled two different locally made ventilators and alcohol-based hand sanitizer developed by students of its three constituent colleges.
Students from Fourah Bay College (FBC), College of Medicine and Allied Health Sciences (COMAHS) and Institute of Public Administration and Management (IPAM), developed the machine which they named “the Leone Vent”.
Engineering students at FBC and medical students from College of Allied Health Sciences played a leading role in the development of the innovations and Ing. Amara Tunkara, a former engineering student and a Mandela Fellow financed it in a bid to increase the ventilators available in the fight against COVID-19 in the Country. The presentation was made to the Ministers of Education and Health of the Republic of Sierra Leone.
In his address, the deputy Vice Chancellor of FBC, Prof. Lawrence Kamara, commended the students and staff for the inventions, emphasizing, “These items are essential in fighting this deadly pandemic that has killed thousands of people globally.” He appealed for funds from government for the University to do more research and come up with inventions to solve local problem and contribute to solving global ones.
In his presentation, the Team Lead, Alfred Mbayoh, said the low-cost ventilator represents a high boost to the people of Sierra Leone. In addition he said it had been designed to use both oxygen and room air, and has as internal battery that can work for one hour without direct power supply. “Amara Tunkara spent over Le 18 million to facilitate the completion of this project,” he revealed. He disclosed that they spent 45 days to complete the development of the machine and projected that, with adequate funding they can produce ten ventilators in a month.
Speaking on the Ndevuyama ventilator which is invented by IPAM students, Malcolm Nuni, a student of IPAM said that the Ndevuyama ventilator can be used manually and automatically, adding that the machine is equipped with a robust system to treat patients. He added that such a facility could be of great importance to the Periphery Health Centres, as its internal battery can serve up to eight hours without direct power.
The Minister of Health and Sanitation, Prof. Alpha Wurie, said that the University is not only experiencing infrastructural development, but also a change of mindset. “Science should not stop in the laboratories, but it should transform the lives of ordinary Sierra Leoneans,” Minister Wurie said. “As a government, we are willing to support good initiative to improve the health sector,” he concluded.
The Minister of Technical and Higher Education, Prof. Aiah Kpakima, called for an effective collaboration between the students of the constituent colleges, and he also said that with effective collaboration the University could do more than that.
By Stephen V. Lansana
23/6/2020. ISSUE NO.: 7851