Croatian Respirators Created to Protect Healthcare Professionals

The Croatian respirator, which successfully protects healthcare professionals from coronavirus, was named CroResp. It was designed by a group of enthusiasts gathered around the online project Pandemija.info, led by Ivor Ković.

The first 50 respirators have been distributed to doctors in various cities, such as Pula, Rijeka, Zagreb, in order to provide protection to as many healthcare professionals in Croatia as possible. The association “Pomaganje je uvijek in“ (eng: Helping is always IN) launched a large crowdfunding campaign.

„The global demand for respirators is growing, and Croatia does not have time to import them. We have designed a respirator which protects the entire face, and most importantly eyes and airways, aiming to help to protect the healthcare professionals in the Croatian public healthcare system. The respirator consists of a diving mask, an adapter and a virus filter. This solution provides a certainly better protection than the surgical masks combined with protective visors“, said Ković, emergency medicine specialist, based in London for the last seven years.

As he is currently located in Podgorač near Našice, he decided to invest his knowledge, experience and goodwill in the protection of the Croatian healthcare professionals. The innovation team is continuously exchanging their findings with people who are developing related solutions all around the world.

The CroResp crowdfunding campaign needs to raise 150,000 kunas (about €20,000). This would create the opportunity to assemble about 1000 respirators. Parts of the respirator that must be purchased or manufactured, cost about 150 kunas per device. Persons assembling the respirators do not charge their services. The campaign will last six more days. The respirators will be free of charge for the healthcare professionals, and the manufacture and distribution costs will be transparently published on the website.