Macau: University donates prototype ventilators to Angola, Mozambique

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Macau: University donates prototype ventilators to Angola, Mozambique

4:18 CAT | 28 Oct 2020

Photo: .gov.mo

The University of Macau (UM) is to donate two prototype ventilators developed by the institution to Angola and Mozambique, and train teams in those countries to manufacture new equipment, the vice-chancellor of UM told Lusa on Wednesday.

The prototypes were developed by UM, in collaboration with the Macau Institute for Development and Quality, based on existing technology, and represent great cost savings, Rui Martins said.

“They are much cheaper than normal, 10% or less of the price, and are ready for use in hospital by patients who need them,” the vice-chancellor of the University of Macau said.

Rui Martins said that the prototypes are low price but high quality, having been certified by medical teams in the territory.

The University of Macau & the Institute for the Development and Quality, #Macao , have jointly donated ventilator prototypes to two African universities – Mandume ya Ndemufayo University in #Angola & Pedagogical University in #Mozambique https://t.co/j43SXsdc0N pic.twitter.com/aPLJKNRtct

— Raam Beart 🥭 (@raam_beart) November 2, 2020

In parallel, the University of Macau will also train engineers and doctors from those countries for the development of new prototypes in Angola and Mozambique.

“Besides the donation, it is also a transfer of technology to these two countries,” stressed Rui Martins, considering that the initiative shows the willingness to help from Macau, a territory that has recorded only 46 cases of Covid-19 since the beginning of the pandemic, at the end of January, and currently has no active cases.

“Macau has not had a case for many months now, and I hope it will remain so in the future, and we have this opportunity to help these two countries, with two universities that are our partners,” the vice-chancellor said.

The prototypes will be delivered to the Pedagogical University of Maputo, in Mozambique, and to Mandume ya Ndemufayo University, in Lubango, Angola, with which UM has cooperation protocols, within the framework of the Association of Portuguese Language Universities (AULP), during a ceremony on Friday with representatives of both countries.

Mozambique’s Consul General in Macau, Rafael Marques, told Lusa that the donation will be a great asset to support the health authorities and help to save lives, pointing out that although the country’s situation is not alarming at the moment, new infections continue to appear.

Mozambique is currently the Portuguese-language country in Africa with the highest number of positive cases, having registered 12,273 Covid-19 infections since the beginning of the pandemic and 89 deaths, followed by Angola, which leads in the number of deaths, with 9,871 infected and 271 deaths.

The Angolan Consul General in Macau, Eduardo Galiano, welcomed the offer, saying that the training planned would also help Angolan technicians to handle the equipment that the government is acquiring from China.

Last week Angola decreed a state of public calamity and reinforced measures to fight the pandemic.

The University of Macau annually receives between 70 and 100 students from Portuguese-language countries, including Angola and Mozambique, both in degrees and master’s and doctoral degrees, according to the vice-chancellor.

Source: Lusa