Indian jugaad to the rescue

Starting from the basics – such as face masks, hand gloves, protective gear, and sanitisers, to even sophisticated medical equipment like ventilators, the shortage of such bare necessities is putting the lives of healthcare professionals and the general populace alike at risk. However, India might be in a position to employ its philosophy of jugaad to re-emerge as a supplier of such necessities – thanks to its massive pool of industrious ‘frugal engineering’ talent.

As a matter of pride, our state has taken the lead in this space, and the Tamil Nadu Prison Department reported that inmates across jails in the state had produced as many as 1.5 lakh pieces of face masks last week. The masks are being used by various government departments involved in battling the dreaded coronavirus. As an added incentive, it was also recently announced by the state government that interest free investment subsidies would be offered to manufacturers of N-95 masks, ventilators, and other equipment. It is heartening to see that Corporate India also has taken baby steps towards turning this crisis into an opportunity for creating value in society. An FMCG major based out of the city, which was known for its range of shampoos, first popularised in the sachet format nationally, has now made in-roads into the mass-hygiene market by introducing sanitisers in sachets.

In the US, in the aftermath of the pandemic, entrepreneurs working out of universities and garages came forward by the hordes, with a range of solutions to help tackle the pandemic. The New York Times reported last week that although the vast majority of products have not received the necessary blessing from the Food and Drug Administration, the agency said it was willing to be flexible in evaluating newly created devices and gear. One such example was a 3-D-printed plastic valve that allows two patients rather than one to be sustained on a single ventilator. Developed by two universities in South Carolina in just about two weeks, the valve is already being used at New York-Presbyterian Hospital.

Getting investors on board and the manufacturing units set up will require Central and State governments to clear the bureaucratic bottlenecks that usually impede the mass production and distribution of mission-critical medical components. But once that is in place, India’s innate ability to create cost-effective solutions could give the country the right ammunition in its battle against the virus.