Israeli defence firm Elbit Systems to produce ventilators

Israeli defence firm Elbit Systems said on Monday it had repurposed assembly lines to manufacture thousands of automatic ventilation machines as the country eyes local production to off-set global shortages due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The head of the Health Ministry procurement division, Orly Weinstein, said Israel must be self-reliant, as some suppliers in other countries have inflated prices or cancelled orders so that resources can be redirected to their own governments.

“My problem is the competition with other countries. The sooner you identify the (health crisis) event, the sooner you can place orders for equipment. The second lesson: Manufacture it yourself,” she told Israel’s Calcalist newspaper on Monday.