File image of Vikranjit Kakati. Image courtesy: facebook

India is staring at acute shortage of life saving drugs including medical ventilators in view of coronavirus outbreak.

To overcome this situation, several stakeholders have taken guard to tackle the situation.

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Montreal General Hospital Foundation, Canada has launched one global Initiative to design a low-cost, simple, easy-to-use and easy-to-build ventilator that can serve the COVID-19 patients, in an emergency timeframe.

This has been supported by National Research Council of Canada, providing expert support in rapid fabrication and manufacturability.

Dassault Systèmes, providing complimentary access to their 3D experience platform as well as complimentary licenses to SolidWorks to contestants.

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Fasken Law Firm has been providing legal, compliance, and organizational support.

Globally this challenge is known as Code Life Ventilator Challenge.

There are over 650 teams signing up, with over 1800 participants from around the world.

In this regard, a son of the soil, Assam’s Dr Vikramjit Kakati, a Ph D holder from IIT and chairperson, Board for Research, Innovation & Consultancy, who is presently serving as Associate Professor (Mechanical Engg) at Don Bosco University, Guwahati has been selected as one of the mentors in their international panel.

Dr Kakati is supposed to provide guidance and mentorship to the various teams from different countries which are presently developing a simple, easy-to-use and easy-to-build ventilator in response to the COVID-19 crisis.

Dr Kakati is the first person from Assam who has been selected for such advisory for this international initiative.

While talking exclusively to Northeast Now, Dr Kakati expressed, “I am happy that in the time of emergency I am able to provide my expertise voluntarily.”