Tomas Kapler knows nothing about ventilators - he is not an online business consultant, engineer, or medical technician. When he noticed that a shortage of critical machinery in northern Italy had seriously damaged the sick COVID-19 patients, he was transferred to action.
"Given the lack of equipment, I find it disturbing that doctors have to decide if a person has a chance to live," says Kapler. "It scared me so much. It was the motivation to do something."
So they did. "I'll just say: Can we make ventilators?" They said.
Working around the clock, he brought a team of 30 checks to develop a fully functional ventilator - Corovant. And they did in just a few days.
Kapler is a member of the unofficial volunteers formed by IT companies and professionals, who came forward to help the state fight the epidemic. The virus has arrived here a little more lately than in Western Europe, but the number of infected people is growing and time is running out.
“In March and early April, we may be in a similar situation to Italy,” says Kapler.
Ventilators have become a valuable commodity. Their prices skyrocketed and so the traditional manufacturers were not able to meet immediately.
Components for ventilators are also in short supply. Hence, Kapler claims that "ventilators are made from machines used in ordinary machines."
The crowdsourcing campaign ensures the necessary finance in a few hours.
Kapler contacted Karel Rabik, a professor of biomedical engineering at the Czech Technical University. In turn, he collected colleagues via Skype, and his postgraduate student tested the new design in his laboratory in Caldno, west of Prague.
He has a working model of five days, which is usually a year.
Their simple design makes the machine reliable, inexpensive and easy to operate and heavy, Roubic said.
A team of volunteer pilots flew their planes to deliver something. MICO, a fuel, and chemical company based in Trecic, 200 kilometers (125 miles) from Cardano, then proceeded to manufacture.
Flights between the two locations helped settle the production line in a matter of weeks.
"I can do nothing better than people who make face masks," said Jiri Denner, chief executive officer of MICO. He added, "He did the best he could and did what I could."
The Ventilator, which was approved for emergency use in the European Union, was ready in April - but not required in the Czech Republic, which was able to control the spread.
MICO has submitted a request for permission for emergency use in the United States, Brazil, Russia, and other countries. Meanwhile, he applied for EU certification for routine hospital use.
“In fact, we thought it was just an emergency ventilator for the Czech Republic,” says Kapler. "But then it was found that the world needed ventilators."
Kapler tried with satisfaction.
“I had to quit my job and I was living without pay for several months,” he said. "However, it has been very positive for me. I have met so many wonderful people who are willing to help."
Or to quote the slogan printed on the ventilator box: "Powered by Check Heart."
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