The owner of a Saskatoon-based engineering company said that when his daughter, an ICU nurse, told him about the potential impact of COVID-19, his company jumped into action.
The result, Jim Boire said, is an emergency use ventilator.
“Knowing we had the skillset, capability, and capacity in-house, we chose to do something rather than nothing and created an emergency use ventilator using reliable technology and readily available materials,” said Boire, president of RMD Engineering.
“When we communicated our intent, we received a high level of trust from the Saskatchewan Health Authority and the leadership of the University of Saskatchewan Colleges of Engineering and Medicine, which led to a world-class collaboration.”
One Health Medical Technologies, a subsidiary of RMD, recently received certification from Health Canada for its in-house designed and manufactured ventilator.
The Saskatchewan government has given approval to the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) to purchase 100 of the made-in-Saskatchewan ventilators.
“The SHA is grateful for the dedication and work that RMD Engineering has invested in creating a Saskatchewan-made solution to support the needs of patients for ventilator support as the COVID-19 pandemic continues,” said Lori Garchinski, the SHA’s executive director of provincial programs — tertiary care.
“Enhancing our ventilator capacity allows for frontline teams to balance the needs of their patients with the appropriate available equipment.”
The Saskatchewan Ministry of Health said the purchase will increase the number of ventilators in the health system to roughly 750.
“This initiative exemplifies the spirit of collaboration and entrepreneurship we’re so proud of in our province,” said Health Minister Paul Merriman.
“Our government fully supports this work, and we are pleased that residents in Saskatchewan and across the country will have access to this equipment if they need it.”
The first 20 ventilators from RMD are expected to be delivered on Dec. 7.