Men 3D-Print Valves For Rs 74 For COVID-19 Patients, Sued By Firm Who Made Them For Rs 8 Lakh
Wracked by the coronavirus pandemic, Italy's healthcare system is crumbling under pressure by the hour. Healthcare workers on the front lines in Italy are confronting
It's all coming together in the worst way possible, from dealing with the ubiquitous ageing population to hospitals running out of basic medical supplies, caregivers are facing a daunting challenge. Problems they never imagined.
In the wake of the rapidly multiplying cases of coronavirus patients, the staff at a hospital in Italy realised they were running out of valves for ventilators needed by those most severely affected by COVID-19.
That's when a local startup stepped up and managed to get to the hospital to manufacture the valves using 3D-printing.
However, the valve which was officially manufactured by a medical device manufacturer costs about Rs 8,16,722 while the replica which the volunteers made costs only about Rs 74.
According to Business Insider Italia, when the start-up asked the original manufacturer of the valves for blueprints, the latter refused to share it and is now suing them for patent infringement.
Complimenti a Cristian Fracassi, @temporelli73 e tutte le persone che lo hanno aiutato nella impresa di stampare in 3d le valvole mancanti per i respiratori dell'Ospedale di Chiari a Brescia.
¡ª Paola Pisano (@PaolaPisano_Min) March 15, 2020
(qui l'articolo completo https://t.co/QYZu6x9X1T) #SolidarietaDigitale #iorestoacasa pic.twitter.com/dF3G2RJY8S
The original manufactures are doing this despite the fact that 3D printed valved helped save the lives of 10 COVID-19 patients.
Massimo Temporelli, one of the volunteers involved in the 3D printing for Italian manufacturing solutions company named FabLab, has paved the way for the future to make medical equipment more affordable.
According to local reports, since the first valves were 3D printed using a filament extrusion system at the hospital, more valves have been printed by another local firm, Lonati SpA, to meet the growing demands.
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Italy has turned into one of the worst-hit countries after the outbreak in China and it's only fair for people like Massimo Temporelli are only making it easier with their innovation. It was certainly insensitive for the medical valve company to sue over patent intrusion when there are bigger things at play.
Italy reported 345 new coronavirus deaths in the country over the last 24 hours taking its total death toll to 2,503 - an increase of 16 percent. The total number of cases in Italy rose to 31,506.
