By Nayak Paudel
Kathmandu, Sept. 20: As the government imposed the nationwide lockdown on March 24, the National Innovation Centre got involved in assisting health personnel upon their request to help produce equipment required for the fight against COVID-19.
The poor health sector and the lack of basic equipment were raising concerns regarding the country’s capacity to fight against COVID-19 as cases started emerging in different parts of the country and even developed countries were facing difficulties in controlling the pandemic.
“The first thing we started manufacturing was Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) because it was mandatory for health workers and they had far less than enough,” Mahabir Pun, chairperson of National Innovation Centre (NIC), told The Rising Nepal.
As per the brief report authored by Pun regarding the centre’s campaign to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19 until July 15, they had provided over 10,000 PPE gowns to more than 300 health institutions including hospitals and primary health centres across 58 districts. The centre further continued producing and providing the PPE gowns.
Alongside PPE gowns, the centre further manufactured other equipment such as isolation boxes, corona booths, aerosol boxes, disinfection boxes, nursing robots, cadaver bags and Pneumasks and distributed them to health personnel and institutions across the country.
“Doctors came up with ideas of what equipment they required. We were also assisted by health workers abroad by providing us insight into what equipment were necessary for the fight against COVID-19. The innovators and researchers in the centre then came up with necessary designs and started developing the equipment,” said Pun.
After developing the equipment, they were checked by health personnel regarding their compatibility and safety. Only after tests and approval, equipment would be distributed to health institutions.
The centre’s manufacture and distribution of the equipment assisted in the fight against COVID-19 to a great extent as the innovators and researchers at the centre continued with similar dedication in developing better equipment.
Around 30 individuals are working at the centre recently and developing equipment as they spend their days and nights in the centre itself.
“The brothers are staying at the centre itself because travelling back and forth from home increased the risk of COVID-19 transmission and nobody wanted to affect the development of equipment for health workers,” said Pun.
When the centre begun developing the equipment, they lacked various resources and materials; since lockdown was imposed, the centre didn’t have easy access and many materials required to be imported from abroad.
However, as the government decided to rescue Nepalis abroad due to the increasing risks of COVID-19 and its effects on Nepalis, many of them brought the materials by reducing their luggage. Various organisations

and associations outside Nepal which have been supporting NIC assisted in sending the materials as well.
In several posts by Pun on his Facebook, he has thanked Nepalis who returned from abroad and brought the materials for the centre along with Nepalis who have been assisting the centre by providing various resources from within the country.
While the centre prepared and distributed various equipment, it also assisted the country’s health care system by repairing several ventilators and dialysis machines.
“The ventilators and dialysis machines which were not being used by hospitals due to some problems, were repaired by our researchers with the help of technicians and researchers from Stanford University, USA,” Pun said.
The machines which were estimated to cost millions for repairing and far more if needed to buy, were fixed free of cost by NIC. The centre has repaired over 50 ventilators and around 20 dialysis machines.
As per the centre, most of the machines had ordinary problems caused by lack of maintenance.
Other than the equipment to fight against COVID-19, the centre has been coming up with various innovations and is working on several others in order to develop the nation by means of innovation.
“Earlier there were no proper platforms for innovators but now there are. Youths have sharp mind for innovations still the lack of resources and technologies alongside encouragement and motivation has been affecting the innovation sector for long,” said Pun.
According to Pun, the shortage of basic equipment followed by difficulties in developing them due to lack of resources reflected the situation of the nation.
“Innovations help develop required infrastructure and equipment for the country’s development. But our authorities have not realised this,” said Pun, who suggested that the government become more concerned towards science and technology.
Meanwhile, addressing a virtual meeting organised by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology on Thursday to mark the 8th National Science Day, Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli called out scientists for optimum utilisation of their ability for innovation and the government would pay attention to their need.
Similarly, Minister for Education, Science and Technology Giriraj Mani Pokharel said that the government was active to connect science and technology with society and production in a bid to make the country a high income nation.
However, innovators in the country argue that the government has much more to do than to speak because the lack of even basic equipment during the COVID-19 pandemic has shown how backward we are.
“Innovation is a sector which requires action. The government should also show with its action that it gives priority to innovation and science. We are not only behind but far behind in this sector. The delay to improve and develop the innovation sector will leave us more backward,” said Pun.