JEDDAH: Saudi Arabia has launched the first ventilator manufactured in the Kingdom in a boost to hospitals treating COVID-19 patients.
The Puritan Bennett (PB) 560 portable ventilator was built by Riyadh-based Rowad Technology. The firm aims to make about 6,000 of the devices a year.
The original PB 560 was designed and built by American-Irish medical technology company Medtronic.
As the pandemic escalated in March 2020 there was a global shortage of ventilators and Medtronic took the unusual step of sharing the design specifications and software code for the device to enable others companies around the world to manufacture their own versions.
Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources Bandar Alkhorayef said the device met international specifications and had been “manufactured with pride in Saudi Arabia.”
“This important step comes at a time when the world is facing great challenges due to the continuing repercussions of the coronavirus pandemic, and the effects it has on daily supply chains and basic supplies, especially in the field of health care,” Alkhorayef said.
Health Minister Tawfiq Al-Rabiah said the manufacture of ventilators will contribute to combating the pandemic due to the constant need for the devices in hospitals.
He said the medical technology industry is one of the most complex and advanced and that his ministry was working with national companies to localize production of medical devices.
The National Center for Industrial Development said Rowad Technology had obtained approval from the Food and Drug Authority to manufacture the PB 560.
Nine companies submitted prototypes, but Rowad was handed permission to go ahead. About 50 employees will work on the project.
“This agreement demonstrates the extent of global confidence in the Saudi market,” the center said.
The PB 560 is compact and lightweight making it ideal for being moved around between health care centers and can also be used at home.
Saudi Arabia to build 6,000 ventilators a year to save COVID-19 patients
https://arab.news/5d49w
Saudi Arabia to build 6,000 ventilators a year to save COVID-19 patients
- Kingdom’s first home-built device unveiled on Wednesday
- The PB 560 ventilator is based on designs shared last year by Medtronic
Rooted in memory: How Rola Daftardar turns Saudi heritage into living art
- Ma Maison by Rola curates, produces home accessories
- Aim to reflect Kingdom as ‘authentic, layered and artistic’
RIYADH: For Rola Daftardar, creativity is not simply about design — it is about memory, emotion and belonging.
Saudi by birth, originally from Madinah and raised in Jeddah, Daftardar carries a layered identity shaped further by her Lebanese mother. That blend of cultures, she says, taught her early on to see beauty in contrast and turn it into strength.
“My identity has always been a mix,” she said during a recent interview. “It taught me how to appreciate detail, emotion and storytelling through objects.”
From childhood, she was drawn to art and pieces with soul — objects that feel lived with rather than merely displayed. She went on to study arts, history and media, developing a philosophy that creativity is not only aesthetic but deeply emotional.
“Design is a way of sharing parts of myself,” she explained. “It’s storytelling through material, color and scent.”
Four years ago, that philosophy became Ma Maison by Rola — a brand that began as a personal creative outlet and gradually grew, season by season, into a carefully curated world of home accessories and tablescaping pieces.
Each year, she approaches her collections as chapters. “Every season has its own breath,” she said. “Every year carries a new intention.”
Her work comes most alive during Ramadan and national occasions, when gatherings take center stage and homes become spaces of shared ritual. Between winter and summer, ideas quietly bloom. But this year’s message feels especially personal.
Daftardar’s latest collection is deeply rooted in Saudi heritage, inspired by cities including Jeddah, Riyadh, AlUla and Taif — places she sees as emotional landscapes as much as geographic ones.
“With Saudi Arabia opening to the world, I felt a responsibility to present my country as I see it — authentic, layered and artistic,” she said.
Candles became the starting point of that story. More than fragrance, they are tributes to memory. Musk reflects the warmth of Jeddah, rose captures the calm elegance of Taif, and oud represents the depth and strength of Riyadh.
Hand-painted details and carefully chosen colors complete the sensory narrative.
The idea for her foldable side tables emerged during a walk along Jeddah’s corniche. Watching families gather spontaneously by the sea reminded her of the informal spaces that connect people — a feeling she also associates with historic Al-Balad.
“I wanted to create something simple and functional that carries that spirit of gathering,” she said.
The concept expanded to Diriyah — old and new — and to AlUla, where history and futurism coexist.
Yet it is tablescaping that remains closest to her heart. “I never choose pieces randomly,” she said. “I imagine the people around the table, the dishes being served, the conversations happening.”
For Daftardar, every bowl, riser and glass element forms part of a complete narrative. Every table tells a story.
Her ultimate aim is clear: to reflect Saudi Arabia as she feels it — warm, generous and deeply rooted. A place where modernity meets origin, and tradition evolves without losing its soul.
That is where Ma Maison by Rola lives — in the space between memory and modernity — and it is a story she is proud to tell.
