In four years as a doctor in Ethiopia, Rediet Libanos has used a mechanical ventilator just once: on a patient who suffered a haemorrhagic stroke a few months ago. “I will be on the front lines of that, so I need to be skilled in how to use this machine,” she told AFP. Yet even as doctors study up on ventilation techniques, Ethiopia’s government -- like others in Africa -- is confronting a stark ventilator shortage that could hobble its COVID-19 response. The Ethiopian health ministry’s own “worst-case scenario” modelling predicts the country will require around 1,500 ventilators for COVID-19 patients by the end of April, Yakob said. With producers overwhelmed by orders from around the globe, it’s not at all clear how this gap will be bridged, he said.

Source: Ethiopian News April 03, 2020 09:33 UTC