Victorian manufacturers create lifesaving new ventilator industry

The Victorian State Government on 1 September announced an order for 170 of the units, after Gekko’s machine was provided with a production exemption from the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA). Gekko will now harness its local suppliers and 100-strong workforce to build the GeVentor ventilators, which will be among the first to go into production. They are expected to be available within five weeks and will be used in health services across the state.

The GeVentor is an affordable alternative to the latest model ventilators, designed to be simple, robust and reliable. It features low gas and power consumption and can be operated using batteries and an oxygen bottle, making it ideal for more remote and regional health centres. A prototype for the GeVentor was developed in April by Gekko’s innovation team lead by technical director Sandy Gray, in consultation with Ballarat anaesthetist Doug Paxton. The initiative was in response to fears of shortages of ventilators in Australian hospitals. The development of the prototype was assisted by a Victorian government grant and support from the Ballarat community.

“We are pleased to have developed a ventilator that can help save the lives of COVID-19 patients around the world, particularly in developing countries that don’t have the medical resources they need to cope with the pandemic,” said Gray. “It is a big success story for Ballarat and regional Victoria, resulting from a collaboration between local medical and manufacturing experts, with the support of the community. We understand the GeVentor is the first Australian-designed ventilator to be eligible for supply in Australia specifically for the COVID-19 pandemic.”

With Australia now in a strong position in the fight against COVID-19 due to low infection rates and the availability of ventilators, the GeVentor will be available to global hotspots, including Indonesia, India, and Latin America. The unit has attracted interest from humanitarian organisations that aim to supply ventilators to developing countries, with the affordability and rugged construction of the GeVentor of particular benefit in these settings.

Gekko Medical is a new medical start-up launched by the award-winning mining innovation company, Gekko Systems in response to shortages of ventilators in Australian hospitals at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. It aims to use its manufacturing expertise to continue to produce medical equipment and create a medical technology hub in Ballarat.

Health Purchasing Victoria has also placed orders for 200 ventilators that are being produced by Grey Innovation. The company established a consortium of local companies to build its transportable Notus Vivere Emergency Ventilator, with components coming from manufacturers ANCA, Marand, Hosico, Bosch Australia and Hydrix. Grey Innovation is also producing machines under licence to fill an order from the Commonwealth Government. Two other Victorian companies – Planet Innovation and Compumedics – are in the final stages of the TGA process for their ventilators.

Minister for Industry Support and Recovery Martin Pakula commented: “Creating a local ventilator industry in a matter of just months is testament to the excellence and agility of Victorian manufacturers. We have seen an amazing response to the challenges posed by the pandemic and that has helped to shore up jobs and place the state in the best position possible to recover once the health crisis is behind us.”