A 21-year old mechanical engineering student has invented a homemade ventilator that should prove helpful as the country grapples with the challenges of COVID-19.
Mohamed Adawe, a Somali student, has become the first person in the country to devise a solution for the pandemic that has brought business and normal activities to a standstill.
COVID-19 has rocked Somalia to its roots. It has destroyed whatever gains the country had made in reforming and bringing its healthcare system into the 21st Century.
The Horn of Africa nation has a serious deficit of ventilators while the number of ICU beds falls far short of requirements.
By Sunday, the government through the Ministry of Health announced that the country had confirmed 722 COVID-19 cases with 32 deaths and 44 recoveries.
The number is expected to rise sharply since Somalia is already the worst-hit country in the Horn of Africa region.
Speaking during an interview conducted by Euronews, Adawe said, “Somalia lacks the economic power and strong government needed to deal with COVID-19 effectively.”
He said his invention is a response to a problem that has caused more fear, uncertainty, deaths, and disruption to normal living.