Jakarta. The Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry has been developing an "affordable" ventilator to treat Covid-19 patients and is now looking to get a certification for the new device.

Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Arifin Tasrif said he had instructed the ministry's research and development division to develop the ventilator to assist the government in its handling of the coronavirus pandemic.

"The new ventilator development was under the instruction of the minister. The goal is to produce an affordable and safe ventilator for Covid-19 patients who suffer from acute respiratory problems," a statement from the ministry issued on Tuesday read.

The head of the ministry's research and development division, Dadan Kusdiana, has been leading the research into the new technology.

The development of the device has been assisted by teams from the electricity, renewable energy, energy conservation and oil and gas directorates.

"We started the development on April 4. Since then we've been making adjustments on the ventilator to meet the requirements from the Healthcare Facility Security Agency [BPFK]. We hope to be able to do this as soon as possible so we can start rolling out the ventilators," Dadan said.

He said the new ventilator still needs to have its pressure, tidal volume and number of breaths dialed in to BPFK standards. 

Once all the requirements are met, the BPFK will issue a certification to clear the device for mass production and widespread use.  

Aside from the BPFK, the ventilator's design has also been examined by the Engineering Department of the University of Indonesia, the Association of Indonesian Anesthetists and a team of doctors working for the ministry. 

"They're our consultants and mentors. Our number one commitment in this project is safety," Dadan said.

The ventilator had already gone through a trial with other mechanical ventilators developed by the University of Indonesia, the Technology Assessment and Application Agency (BPPT), the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB) and the Sepuluh Nopember Institute of Technology (ITS) on April 16.