The first one was built in Uganda in 1968; there are now more than 1200 specially adapted incubators - known as Van Hemel Incubator - in almost all developing countries. About 25 new incubators are supplied each year. The basic model comes as a construction kit, packed in a box of around 30 kg. Its operation is simple and extremely reliable. Some of the oldest incubators are still operational – having worked for 30 years or more without any serious maintenance. They were developed by Dr Van Hemel of The Netherlands, while serving in Uganda. They are manufactured with aid from many sponsors and can be offered for as little as 325 euro.
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