SingHealth creates ventilator prototype that costs less, does not rely heavily on resources

• Unlike conventional ventilators, a prototype by SingHealth does not require pressurised gas to function
• It is meant to supplement conventional ventilators
• It costs five times less and can be manufactured quickly when needed

SINGAPORE — Public healthcare group SingHealth has produced a ventilator that is cheaper and takes less time to manufacture compared to conventional models.

The ventilator, named the SG-Inspire, differs from conventional ventilators — it does not need to be connected to high-pressure medical gas systems that hospitals have in limited quantities. It functions instead by drawing oxygen from the surroundings. 

This means that patients who face mild to moderate lung damage and who require some help in breathing can use the SG-Inspire instead, leaving conventional ventilators available for patients with more severe respiratory conditions. 

The ventilator, which was produced in collaboration between SingHealth hospitals, SingHealth Medical Technology Office and various industry partners, will be tested at KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital and the National Heart Centre Singapore in August and September. 

In a press conference on Friday (July 24), Associate Professor Derrick Chan, deputy director of SingHealth Medical Technology Office, said that the project was conceived in March after observing the Covid-19 pandemic response in Europe. 

Countries in Europe were reporting shortages in ventilators, leading to a situation where doctors had to decide which patients would be given ventilators and which would not.

He said that the aim of the project is to avoid such a scenario in Singapore and provide alternatives to those who may not need conventional ventilators.  

The SG-inspire is the latest in efforts to ramp up the production of ventilators here to ensure a steady supply with the global shortages.  

Singapore company Advanced MedTech announced its own version on July 14. 

Like the ventilator from Advanced MedTech, the SG-Inspire can also be operated remotely, lessening the exposure of healthcare professionals to patients and thus reducing risks of viral transmission. 

Assoc Prof Chan estimated that the ventilator will cost between S$7,000 and S$9,000, compared to conventional ventilators, which cost up to S$35,000. 

The lowered cost of production is because the ventilator is made of readily available components instead of specialised ones. 

This also results in the shortening of time taken to make the ventilator — three weeks to a month compared to months for conventional ventilators. 

Other features of the SG-Inspire include an interface that can operate several ventilators at a time and by healthcare professionals who may not have experience in intensive care, thus preventing fatigue among hospital workers. 

While SingHealth intends to make the SG-Inspire available commercially, Assoc Prof Chan did not commit to a specific date for the roll-out, noting that the stabilised pandemic situation in Singapore means that more time can be afforded to the testing phase to ensure it is safe for use, which is the priority now. 

That said, he emphasised that the SG-Inspire can be “scaled up and mass produced swiftly when needed”.