For a population of 2 million people, the Gaza strip has just 60 ventilators. Of that number, 15 are damaged and unusable. The remaining 45 are all being used by patients who's life depends on them.
That leaves approximately zero for any victims of the coronavirus pandemic; a looming crisis the embattled Palestinian territory is desperately attempting to stave off.
And now, two Gazan engineers think they might have an answer: a prototype for a ventilator that costs as little as $200.
The health care system here is so poor it's almost nonexistent
The first two Covid-19 patients in the Gaza strip were confirmed by the Palestinian Ministry of Health on March 22. Both of the confirmed cases were Pakistani citizens and were quarantined at a new field hospital in Rafah, in the south of Gaza. Since then, 11 more patients have been confirmed to have the virus, and the implications of a widespread outbreak loom large.
Ismail Abu Skheila and fellow engineer Esam Khalafallah were well aware of an impending crisis, and the disastrous effects a community outbreak could have on the war-ravaged region. So, they set about trying to help.
"I love and fear for my family and I'm very worried about the situation in Gaza," Mr Abu Skheila tells The National.
"The health care system had already been deteriorating before this pandemic came. If this virus spreads more, the results will be catastrophic because Gaza has been living under a devastating blockade for more than 13 years now and I believe the health care system here is so poor it's almost nonexistent."
Mr Abu Skheila, who now works as the director of the engineering office at the Islamic University in Gaza, and holds a master's degree in architecture, says they began looking for spare parts to help them build a new kind of ventilator that would be much cheaper to produce.
However, the blockade made it difficult to find sufficient materials.
"We can’t import what we need from the outside because it would take a long time," he says.
"Of course, we realise this device would not be as efficient as the original $50,000 devices. But our aim was to find something cheap that would achieve its goal and help coronavirus patients in Gaza."
The Islamic University of Gaza backed the project, and supported the development of the idea.
The prototype uses a wiper motor from a car, because they are cheap, readily available and can run for 24 hours. The ventilator runs on regular electricity, but can work on a 10-hour battery in the event of a power cut. They can also be linked to a mobile phone to allow it to be controlled from a distance.
"We have no materials whatsoever in Gaza," Mr Abu Skheila says.
"There are no skill shortages in Gaza, however, there is a shortage of everything else.
"We are suffering, right now as we are trying to run this device, we are suffering from the lack of small modern technologies. Things we need to make this device work, we don't have, special devices for pressure for example. But hopefully, this is better than nothing."
The pair have been working on building the prototype for about a week, and believe they need five or six days more to fine-tune it. After that, it will be delivered to the Ministry of Health for further testing. Representatives from the ministry had already seen the prototype and were cautiously optimistic about its practicality, but had asked for some modifications.
There was a "huge shortage of coronavirus testing kits", Mr Al Qedra says, estimating that they would lose the ability to conduct any tests "in a few days"
"After that we will hopefully be able to work on manufacturing devices more rapidly to help save the Gaza Strip if we reach that stage," Mr Abu Skheila says.
"What makes this device special is its low cost and the fact it can be made in a short period of time."
Rami Al Abadla, director of epidemiology at the Palestinian Ministry of Health, says they had been in contact with the two engineers and were "very proud of them".
"The device looks very effective. If all the materials for this device are available in Gaza and they can actually make more of it, we would absolutely welcome it."
Normal ventilators were often in excess of $25,000 to buy, Mr Al Abadla says, and even if they could afford it, the global shortage meant it was almost impossible to buy them.
And due to the fact their current ventilator stocks were all in use, by patients who would "die without them", it meant that "right now, we have zero ventilators for any potential coronavirus patients".
"This is why we believe this is a very good thing and we will certainly support it, even if it helps the patients temporarily."
Ashraf Al Qedra, spokesperson for the Palestinian Ministry of Health, said the coronavirus patients in Gaza were currently "stable and healthy".
So far, 1148 tests for the virus had been conducted, with 12 coming back positive. Five patients have recovered, while seven remain in hospital.
Medical staff were now following up with 1897 people across 27 quarantine centres. However, there was a "huge shortage of coronavirus testing kits", Mr Al Qedra says, estimating that they would lose the ability to conduct any tests "in a few days".
Construction of a new field hospital in Rafah began in mid-March and is expected to be ready within days. The hospital will provide 1000 rooms, which will be exclusively used as quarantine facilities.
However, he said the Ministry of Health was still in desperate need of at least 100 ventilators and 140 ICU beds. He estimated the battle for coronavirus would require $23 million of international support.
"The needs are huge," Mr Al-Abadla says. "We need the international community to work effectively on this issue and help us."
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
SECRET%20INVASION
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SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20SAMSUNG%20GALAXY%20S24%20ULTRA
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Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
More from Neighbourhood Watch
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Liverpool's all-time goalscorers
Ian Rush 346
Roger Hunt 285
Mohamed Salah 250
Gordon Hodgson 241
Billy Liddell 228
Evacuations to France hit by controversy
- Over 500 Gazans have been evacuated to France since November 2023
- Evacuations were paused after a student already in France posted anti-Semitic content and was subsequently expelled to Qatar
- The Foreign Ministry launched a review to determine how authorities failed to detect the posts before her entry
- Artists and researchers fall under a programme called Pause that began in 2017
- It has benefited more than 700 people from 44 countries, including Syria, Turkey, Iran, and Sudan
- Since the start of the Gaza war, it has also included 45 Gazan beneficiaries
- Unlike students, they are allowed to bring their families to France
Our legal consultants
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Results:
CSIL 2-star 145cm One Round with Jump-Off
1. Alice Debany Clero (USA) on Amareusa S 38.83 seconds
2. Anikka Sande (NOR) For Cash 2 39.09
3. Georgia Tame (GBR) Cash Up 39.42
4. Nadia Taryam (UAE) Askaria 3 39.63
5. Miriam Schneider (GER) Fidelius G 47.74
Green ambitions
- Trees: 1,500 to be planted, replacing 300 felled ones, with veteran oaks protected
- Lake: Brown's centrepiece to be cleaned of silt that makes it as shallow as 2.5cm
- Biodiversity: Bat cave to be added and habitats designed for kingfishers and little grebes
- Flood risk: Longer grass, deeper lake, restored ponds and absorbent paths all meant to siphon off water
Why it pays to compare
A comparison of sending Dh20,000 from the UAE using two different routes at the same time - the first direct from a UAE bank to a bank in Germany, and the second from the same UAE bank via an online platform to Germany - found key differences in cost and speed. The transfers were both initiated on January 30.
Route 1: bank transfer
The UAE bank charged Dh152.25 for the Dh20,000 transfer. On top of that, their exchange rate margin added a difference of around Dh415, compared with the mid-market rate.
Total cost: Dh567.25 - around 2.9 per cent of the total amount
Total received: €4,670.30
Route 2: online platform
The UAE bank’s charge for sending Dh20,000 to a UK dirham-denominated account was Dh2.10. The exchange rate margin cost was Dh60, plus a Dh12 fee.
Total cost: Dh74.10, around 0.4 per cent of the transaction
Total received: €4,756
The UAE bank transfer was far quicker – around two to three working days, while the online platform took around four to five days, but was considerably cheaper. In the online platform transfer, the funds were also exposed to currency risk during the period it took for them to arrive.
RESULTS
6.30pm: Maiden (TB) Dh 82,500 (Dirt) 1.600m
Winner: Miller’s House, Richard Mullen (jockey), Satish Seemar (trainer).
7.05pm: Maiden (TB) Dh 82,500 (D) 2,000m
Winner: Kanood, Adrie de Vries, Fawzi Nass.
7.50pm: Handicap (TB) Dh 82,500 (D) 1,600m
Winner: Gervais, Sandro Paiva, Ali Rashid Al Raihe.
8.15pm: The Garhoud Sprint Listed (TB) Dh 132,500 (D) 1,200m
Winner: Important Mission, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer.
8.50pm: The Entisar Listed (TB) Dh 132,500 (D) 2,000m
Winner: Firnas, Xavier Ziani, Salem bin Ghadayer.
9.25pm: Conditions (TB) Dh 120,000 (D) 1,400m
Winner: Zhou Storm, Connor Beasley, Ali Rashid Al Raihe.
The%20specs
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Ain Dubai in numbers
126: The length in metres of the legs supporting the structure
1 football pitch: The length of each permanent spoke is longer than a professional soccer pitch
16 A380 Airbuses: The equivalent weight of the wheel rim.
9,000 tonnes: The amount of steel used to construct the project.
5 tonnes: The weight of each permanent spoke that is holding the wheel rim in place
192: The amount of cable wires used to create the wheel. They measure a distance of 2,4000km in total, the equivalent of the distance between Dubai and Cairo.
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
Dubai Women's Tour teams
Agolico BMC
Andy Schleck Cycles-Immo Losch
Aromitalia Basso Bikes Vaiano
Cogeas Mettler Look
Doltcini-Van Eyck Sport
Hitec Products – Birk Sport
Kazakhstan National Team
Kuwait Cycling Team
Macogep Tornatech Girondins de Bordeaux
Minsk Cycling Club
Pannonia Regional Team (Fehérvár)
Team Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Team Ciclotel
UAE Women’s Team
Under 23 Kazakhstan Team
Wheel Divas Cycling Team
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
HAJJAN
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EMIRATES'S%20REVISED%20A350%20DEPLOYMENT%20SCHEDULE
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Yemen's Bahais and the charges they often face
The Baha'i faith was made known in Yemen in the 19th century, first introduced by an Iranian man named Ali Muhammad Al Shirazi, considered the Herald of the Baha'i faith in 1844.
The Baha'i faith has had a growing number of followers in recent years despite persecution in Yemen and Iran.
Today, some 2,000 Baha'is reside in Yemen, according to Insaf.
"The 24 defendants represented by the House of Justice, which has intelligence outfits from the uS and the UK working to carry out an espionage scheme in Yemen under the guise of religion.. aimed to impant and found the Bahai sect on Yemeni soil by bringing foreign Bahais from abroad and homing them in Yemen," the charge sheet said.
Baha'Ullah, the founder of the Bahai faith, was exiled by the Ottoman Empire in 1868 from Iran to what is now Israel. Now, the Bahai faith's highest governing body, known as the Universal House of Justice, is based in the Israeli city of Haifa, which the Bahais turn towards during prayer.
The Houthis cite this as collective "evidence" of Bahai "links" to Israel - which the Houthis consider their enemy.
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
MATCH INFO
Manchester City 3
Danilo (16'), Bernardo Silva (34'), Fernandinho (72')
Brighton & Hove Albion 1
Ulloa (20')
RESULTS
Cagliari 5-2 Fiorentina
Udinese 0-0 SPAL
Sampdoria 0-0 Atalanta
Lazio 4-2 Lecce
Parma 2-0 Roma
Juventus 1-0 AC Milan
Film: Raid
Dir: Rajkumar Gupta
Starring: Ajay Devgn, Ileana D'cruz and Saurabh Shukla
Verdict: Three stars
Tamkeen's offering
- Option 1: 70% in year 1, 50% in year 2, 30% in year 3
- Option 2: 50% across three years
- Option 3: 30% across five years
The%20specs
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2.0-litre%204-cyl%20turbo%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E190hp%20at%205%2C600rpm%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E320Nm%20at%201%2C500-4%2C000rpm%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E7-speed%20dual-clutch%20auto%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFuel%20consumption%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E10.9L%2F100km%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFrom%20Dh119%2C900%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENow%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Company profile
Name: Back to Games and Boardgame Space
Started: Back to Games (2015); Boardgame Space (Mark Azzam became co-founder in 2017)
Founder: Back to Games (Mr Azzam); Boardgame Space (Mr Azzam and Feras Al Bastaki)
Based: Dubai and Abu Dhabi
Industry: Back to Games (retail); Boardgame Space (wholesale and distribution)
Funding: Back to Games: self-funded by Mr Azzam with Dh1.3 million; Mr Azzam invested Dh250,000 in Boardgame Space
Growth: Back to Games: from 300 products in 2015 to 7,000 in 2019; Boardgame Space: from 34 games in 2017 to 3,500 in 2019
Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
MATCH STATS
Wolves 0
Aston Villa 1 (El Ghazi 90 4' pen)
Red cards: Joao Moutinho (Wolves); Douglas Luiz (Aston Villa)
Man of the match: Emi Martinez (Aston Villa)
