Private workers in Cuba join efforts to fight Covid-19

Cuban private or self-employed workers are currently joining efforts to fight the novel SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus with the manufacture of health security means, among other contributions.

An example of those private workers is Abel Bajuelos, whose 3D printing venture helps the country overcome difficulties to purchase protective visors, valves for assisted breathing systems, as well as vital spare parts to recover medical equipment.

According to Bajuelos, the technological revolution the world is experiencing has allowed the democratization of the access to knowledge and the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) to solve problems.

He explained that taking advantage of the extensive information spread online, self-employed, state workers and technology enthusiasts downloaded models of these medical supplies, which they redesigned, adapting them to the country's needs, to make them more robust or simple, according to the availability of materials and the demands of the healthcare system.

Institutions such as the Cuban Neuroscience Center, which collaborate with the designs and endorse the production, are supporting this effort.