Riyadh, March 03, 2022, SPA -- The Local Content and Government Procurement Authority (LCGPA) sponsored today the signing of a local manufacturing agreement between the Saudi-based Al-Rowad Technology Systems and Medtronic-Saudi Arabia, a leading global health technology company, to manufacture a ventilator (Puritan Bennett 980) locally in the Kingdom, becoming the first locally made ventilators used in the intensive care and critical cases, where the ventilator helps patients breathe normally and with a high degree of safety. This agreement will result in the manufacture of up to 1,200 devices annually, with a localization rate of 46% within less than two years, with the possibility of increasing the localization percentage in the future, providing 70 local job opportunities. This achievement comes as an extension of the first cooperation achieved between the two companies last June to localize the PB560 portable ventilators, which target home ventilators care and support in emergency and emergencies. --SPA 17:01 LOCAL TIME 14:01 GMT 0018 www.spa.gov.sa/w1700488