Chandigarh doctor accuses Mahindra group of copying his Ambu Bag idea

Dr Rajiv Chauhan from PGI Chandigarh has accused the Mahindra Group of copying his team's idea of an Ambu Bag, which they had developed as an alternative to expensive ventilators after over a year of hard work.

Chandigarh:A doctor from Chandigarh has accused the Mahindra group of copying his idea of an Ambu Bag, which he had designed as a viable alternative to ventilators for COVID-19 patients.

Speaking to ETV Bharat, Dr Rajiv Chauhan from PGI Chandigarh claimed that after working hard for over a year, his team had developed the Ambu Bag. The small-sized Ambu Bag can easily be brought into use anywhere as it weighs only around one and a half kilograms. It can be used in ambulances during emergencies too, he said.

Chauhan claimed that his team had contacted the Mahindra group by email, following which an official from the company had contacted them. The team then provided the official with all the information about the device they had developed.

However, much to Chauhan's surprise, 48 hours after the exchange, Anand Mahindra announced that his team had developed a prototype of bag valve mask, which is commonly known as an Ambu bag.

"We are simultaneously working with an indigenous maker of ICU ventilators. These are sophisticated machines costing between 5 to 10 lakhs. This device is an interim lifesaver & the team estimates it will cost below ?7,500," Mahindra had tweeted.

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Dr Chauhan claimed that the device launched by Mahindra is completely identical to the one invented by his team.

Mahindra group cheated us: Chauhan

Expressing surprise on the fact that Mahindra claimed to have come up with the device in just 48 hours, Chauhan said that his team took more than a year to develop the product. He said that intellectuals would agree that such innovations take time to be developed.

Chauhan further said that he gave the Mahindra group all the necessary information about his device in good faith, as he thought that such a large and respectable company would help the country. However, Chauhan said the Mahindra gropu has cheated him.

Complaint to PMO

Dr Chauhan informed ETV Bharat that he had also filed an application to get a patent for his product. He said that he is not capable of fighting such a large company on his own, but he still filed a complaint with the Prime Minister's Office, and has also reported the matter to the Chandigarh PGI Faculty Association.

ETV bharat had earlier reported about Dr Chauhan's Ambu Bag about a week ago. At the time, Chauhan had claimed that the invention could be used in place of expensive ventilators.

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