Respiratory disease causes an immense worldwide health burden. It is estimated that 235 million people suffer from asthma (Ref 1), more than 200 million people have chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), 65 million endure moderate-to-severe COPD (Ref 2), 1–6% of the adult population (more than 100 million people) experience sleep disordered breathing (Ref 3), 8.7 million people develop tuberculosis (TB) annually (Ref 4), millions live with pulmonary hypertension (Ref 5), and more than 50 million people struggle with occupational lung diseases, totaling more than 1 billion persons suffering from chronic respiratory conditions. (Ref 6)
At least 2 billion people are exposed to the toxic effects of biomass fuel consumption, 1 billion are exposed to outdoor air pollution and 1 billion are exposed to tobacco smoke. Each year, 4 million people die prematurely from chronic respiratory disease. (Ref 7)
Infants and young children are particularly susceptible. Nine million children under 5 years of age die annually and lung diseases are the most common causes of these deaths. Pneumonia is the world’s leading killer of young children (Ref 8). Asthma is the most common chronic disease, affecting about 14% of children globally and rising (Ref 9).
Respiratory infections are ranked as the greatest single contributor to the overall burden of disease in the world, as measured in disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) lost, which estimate the amount of active and productive life lost due to a condition. The DALY burden is composed of two measures: years of life lost (YLL), which is the potential years of life lost to the person through their premature death, and years lived with disability (YLD), to take into account the years of life with disability. DALY is calculated by summing the two: DALY&eq;YLL + YLD. This measure is sometimes referred to as the burden of disease.
Healthcare costs for respiratory diseases are an increasing burden on the economies of all countries. For example, the annual cost of asthma in the USA is estimated to be $18 billion (Ref 10). If one considers the lost productivity of family members and others caring for these individuals, the cost to society is far greater.
Given the requirements worldwide, nearly 500 million people are suffering from various forms of respiratory disorders that would greatly benefit from the use of mechanical ventilation that can be made accessible to them. Most of these people are suffering due to difficult to reach locations where only the SVELTE can reach.
At this rate, we are required to make at least 10,000 units a day (30L units per year) to fulfill the demand. Whereas, all mechanical ventilators in India today together produce only about 3000 units per year.
Supervasi is a non-profit NGO that will use this opportunity to generate and provide much needed livelihood for the poorest people in India – the tribal Adivasis. We would be providing training to nearly 2000-3000 such people for the manufacturing and distribution of these kits.
In a Public-Private Partnership with Supervasi, the Govt. of India can provide these ventilators to all government hospitals as well as PHCs at a cost of Rs. 25,000. Profits made from private sales will be used a 100% towards the development of Adivasis.
1) World Health Organization. Chronic respiratory disease, Asthma.
2) World Health Organization. Chronic Respiratory Diseases, Burden of COPD.
3) World Health Organization. Chronic respiratory diseases.
4) World Health Organization. Global Tuberculosis Report 2012.
5) World Health Organization. Chronic respiratory diseases.
6) Global Alliance against Chronic Respiratory Disease
7) Global Alliance against Chronic Respiratory Disease.
8) Walker CL, Rudan I, Liu L, et al.
Global burden of childhood pneumonia and diarrhea. Lancet 2013; 381: 1405-1416.
9) Pearce N, Aït-Khaled N, Beasley R, et al.
Worldwide trends in the prevalence of asthma symptoms:
Phase III of the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood
(ISAAC). Thorax 2007; 62: 758-766.
10) Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America.