Press Release: Face shields made in Romania, EU - Could Romania hold the answer to Europe’s PPE shortages?
Romania can produce EU-quality PPE at Far Eastern prices, without the time lag. So what’s stopping governments and private companies from buying? Romanian doctor Bogdan Ivanescu says that his innovative face shield design will be a game changer both at home and abroad.
Romania’s EU status, manufacturing potential and proximity to countries in need of PPE could help European governments avoid the quality and transit challenges associated with Far Eastern manufacture and purchasing, says Dr. Bogdan Ivanescu, whose medical equipment manufacture business is attempting to plug a hole in the market while simultaneously donating PPE to hospitals where it is most needed.
The Romanian philanthropist, medical doctor and TV personality explains how his company is uniquely placed to help overcome the safety issues plaguing medical staff: “In Romania around 20% of COVID-19 patients are medical staff – my vision was to do something to help them, while providing a product that would protect people in other sectors too."
“My team, in collaboration with medical professionals, designed a visor that’s cheap and fast to produce, includes a hinge, is fully adjustable and can be delivered to any European country within five working days. It’s also produced to EU standards, so buyers can be assured of its quality. 21 hospitals and clinics from Romania have reveived more than 3,000 faceshields so far and counting."
“We are moving into a new normal – shops, offices and all types of businesses will need this type of PPE to protect not just themselves but also their customers,” says Dr. Ivanescu. “The face shield that we have created weighs only 80g, which is extremely light and comfortable to wear considering the quality of the design and the fact that it can rotate to 90 degrees. The face shield’s visor can be replaced, bringing the overall cost down further. The whole face shield can be manufactured for less than 4 Euros, while the cost of the visor only is below 1 Euro – and it can be removed and replaced within seconds thanks to its simple design.”
But are visors as effective as face masks? Dr. Ivanescu says that for the man on the street, they are.
“For doctors who work in a high-risk, aerosol-rich environment, they wear a face mask and a visor,” says Dr Ivanescu. The visor covers all three points of entry for the virus: the eyes, nose and mouth.”
So what makes this visor so affordable?
“We had everything in place without even knowing it,” says Dr. Ivanescu. “ We were in the perfect position due to our online Doctor MIT Shop that was already buying, producing and delivering medical equipment.”
The project began as a way to make up for the shortage in PPE that Romania’s own hospitals were experiencing. But when it became clear that demand went further than just clinical settings, he set up his H2H (Human to Human) charitable initiative which aims to provide 10,000 free visors to doctors and medical professionals in Romania.
“We can produce around 2,000-2,500 units per day, and our goal is to have delivered 100,000 by the end of the year,” says Dr. Ivanescu.
Dr. Ivanescu’s H2H initiative operates in partnership with the Doctor MIT Association, The Embassy of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, and its relief organization, Serviciul de Ajutor Maltez din România.
“If you donate 1,000 lei (GBP182) you protect a full hospital department for up to two weeks,” says Dr. Ivanescu. “But if you order visors, we will also donate a percentage of your order to medics.”
ABOUT DR BOGDAN IVANESCU
Dr. Bogdan Ivanescu, is the creator of Doctor MIT, the largest medical media platform in Romania. He is also facilitating access to innovative medical devices at both public and private hospitals in Romania. He co-founded Stem Sure, the first Western stem cell company in Romania and also coordinated the first-ever stem cell transplant in Romania, treating an autistic child.
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