Turkey exports more than 1,000 mechanical ventilators

ANKARA

Turkey has exported more than 1,000 mechanical ventilators crucial in treating COVID-19 so far, the country's industry and technology minister said on Wednesday.

Addressing a meeting of a local trade chamber via a video link, Mustafa Varank said Turkey is also carrying out apace innovative projects for diagnostic kits and systems that will make a name for the country worldwide.

Varank pointed that many countries face crisis of producing basic medical equipment.

"The discrimination between developed or developing countries has disappeared.

"Countries boasting their economic and technological power have been late in combating the pandemic," Varank said.

Over the last month Turkey set up mass production of mechanical ventilators which were designed by Turkish technology firm BIOSYS and produced with the backing of Baykar, major appliances firm Arcelik, and defense giant Aselsan.

Baykar, Aselsan, and Arcelik supported BIOSYS' mechanical ventilator model rolling 100 units off the production line in just two weeks.

As part of the project, 5,000 units will be produced by the end of May.

With severe shortness of breath a hallmark of the virus, the pandemic has raised the need for medical ventilators, resulting in a fresh impetus for defense, technology and automotive companies across the globe to research and manufacture the devices.

Touching on economic indicators the statistical authority TurkStat announced recently such as confidence indexes, Varank said readings are at upward trend.

Turkey's services, retail trade and construction sectors improved in May, going up 10.8%, 5% and 31.1%, respectively from April.

The consumer confidence index also rose 8.5% month-on-month in May.

"The concept of 'confidence' will be at the center of any type of economic activities," Varank stressed.