The government will support cooperation between private businesses beyond the framework of industries to increase the production of ventilators and secure supply. With this effort, the government plans to improve measures to prevent a shortage of ventilators in the face of the spread of the new coronavirus.
It is considered difficult to mass-produce medical equipment since they require a high level of expertise, as well as advanced manufacturing technology. The government plans to ask for cooperation between companies with medical expertise, parts makers with advanced medical equipment manufacturing technology and firms with sterilized rooms needed to manufacture the equipment.
Starting this week, the Economy, Trade and Industry Ministry and the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry will work together and call for the cooperation of businesses by assigning a bureau-chief level official to a task force, which will be set up to increase ventilator production and secure supply.
Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Hiroshi Kajiyama and Health, Labor and Welfare Minister Katsunobu Kato were expected to meet with Japan Business Federation (Keidanren) Chairman Hiroaki Nakanishi and Kengo Sakurada, chairman of the Japan Association of Corporate Executives (Keizai Doyukai), Tuesday to ask for their cooperation in boosting the production of ventilators and other medical equipment.
According to the Japanese Society of Respiratory Care Medicine and others, as of February, there were only about 22,000 ventilators nationwide, including those for children. Ventilators are manufactured generally in small quantities because they are usually used only for patients with certain medical conditions.
Read more from The Japan News at https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/
