India received 2,060 oxygen concentrators, 3 oxygen generation plants as foreign aid on Friday

PTI, May 8, 2021, 5:50 PM IST

New Delhi: India received 2,060 oxygen concentrators, 30,000 vials of Remdesivir, 467 ventilators and three oxygen generation plants from US-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF), Switzerland, Poland, the Netherlands and Israel on Friday, the government said.

An official statement of the Union Health Ministry released on Saturday said that India has been receiving international donations and aid of COVID-19 relief medical supplies and equipment since April 27, 2021 from different countries and organisations.

“Cumulatively, 6608 Oxygen Concentrators, 3856 Oxygen Cylinders, 14 Oxygen Generation Plants, 4330 ventilators/Bi PAP and about three lakh Remdesivir vials have been delivered/ dispatched, from April 27, 2021 to May 7, 2021,” it said.

Praising the global community for its support, the government said, “Reflecting the solidarity and goodwill towards India, the global community has extended a helping hand in supporting efforts of India in this collective fight against COVID19.”

It said the government has designed a streamlined and systematic mechanism for effective allocation, and prompt distribution and delivery of the support supplies received.

“This will help to supplement the medical infrastructure of the tertiary care institutions and recipient States/UTs, and strengthen their clinical management capacities for effective clinical management of the hospitalised COVID-19 patients.

“Effective immediate allocation, and streamlined delivery to the recipient states/UTs and institutions is an ongoing exercise. This is being comprehensively monitored by the Union Health Ministry on a regular basis,” it said.

The ministry informed that around 100 oxygen concentrators were dispatched from Delhi to Assam on Saturday while a German Mobile Oxygen Production and Filling System, producing 360.0 litres of 93 per cent oxygen for medical use, and having a reserve oxygen tank of 420 litres was transported to DRDO in the morning, for use in their health facilities.

Ventilators received from the Netherlands are on way from Delhi to Telangana, it said.

“A dedicated coordination cell has been created in the Union Health Ministry to coordinate the receipt and allocation of foreign COVID relief material as grants, aid and donations. This cell started functioning from April 26, 2021. A standard operating procedure has been framed and implemented by the health ministry since May 2,” it said.