Researchers Used 3D Printing to Solve PPE Shortage in Nigeria

A recent academic paper has revealed that researchers from the University of Sussex and the Olabisis Onabanjo University in Nigeria turned to 3D printing and open-source designs to help deal with a shortage of personal protection equipment (PPE). Like many countries, this shortage arose in Nigeria during the Covid-19 pandemic. Andre Maia Chagas from the University of Sussex, and Dr. Royhaan Folarin from the Olabisi Onabanjo University in Nigeria explained the project in an article that was published in the latest issue of the monthly scientific journal PLOS Biology.

The Covid-19 pandemic hit the entire world without a warning and caused damage that still affects our everyday lives. However in times like now, when the pandemic seems to be coming to a state where everyone can slowly start to recover and process all that has been turning our lives upside down, we start to learn how the challenging situation impacted other parts of the planet. When the coronavirus found its way to Africa, more precisely Nigeria, it didn’t take long for the situation to turn problematic. The African country, given its population’s poverty and its unstable economy, quickly ran short on personal protection equipment (PPE) for its medical staff, which, as you know, is very important when dealing with the contagious virus.

Researchers Dr. André Maia Chagas and Dr. Royhaan Folarin (photo credits: Ralf Rebmann / scicomnigeria)

In an effort to solve the problem as quickly as possible, Dr. Andre Maia Chagas and Dr. Royhaan Folarin together searched for a possible solution. The researchers turned to additive manufacturing, which presented a great opportunity to not only produce 400 pieces of urgently needed PPE on time but also enabled cheaper and more sustainable production. The team managed to obtain the approved PPE designs via open-source, and without hesitation, 3D printed equipment for the local community to use, which turned out to cost less than half of what the usual equipment would have cost.