SHAH ALAM, April 14 — Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) has come up with its own face shield to be used by health personnel battling the spread of Covid-19.

The team undertaking the project is led by deputy dean of the Mechanical Engineering Faculty Associate Professor Dr Muhammad Hussain Ismail and membered by faculty lecturers, technical and administrative staff.

The team has churned out over 20,000 sets of face shields since March 30, and has distributed them to 100 government hospitals and health clinics nationwide.

Speaking to Bernama today, Muhammad Hussain said the idea to produce the face shields came about on March 24 following the high demand for personal protective equipment (PPE) especially in government healthcare facilities.

The 20-member team produced the face shields by using an injection moulding machine and 23 units of three-dimensional (3D) printing machines, and fitted on an average of 1,500 PPEs daily.

"Prompted by the determination of the frontliners working tirelessly against the pandemic, we leverage our skills and make use of the facilities available to create face shields that meet the standards of the Health Ministry,” he said.

He added that the shields were made using reusable frames which could reduce the cost of between RM3 and RM10 per item incurred by the ministry.

The face shields are distributed thrice a week to other health facilities, including Sabah and Sarawak through courier services, he said, adding that the university used public donations from the UiTM Covid-19 Special Fund to purchase the materials.

Besides UiTM Shah Alam, other Mechanical Engineering faculties at its branch campuses are expected to produce face shields tomorrow to meet the demand of healthcare facilities in their respective districts. — Bernama