Govt distributes 3000 indigenous ventilators to hospitals

The central government, as a part of the 'Make in India' initiative, has distributed indigenous ventilators to hospitals across the country in order to fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. In a first slot, the government has distributed around 3000 domestic ventilators to the states.

In a press statement on May 1, 2020, the Union Health Ministry had indicated the projected demand of 75,000 ventilators till June. As per the rising cases, the orders were rushed including the demands of the state governments.

Ventilators are the life -saving medical equipment that is required for the treatment of COVID-19, as some of the patients tend to develop acute respiratory disease syndrome (ARDS).

Key Highlights:

• As per the senior government official, so far at least 3000 country-made ventilators have been distributed to the states across the country, which will be placed in various hospitals. Few are already under dispatch.

• The officials have also informed that in the coming days the domestic production of ventilators will speed up matching the demand.

• The central government had earlier announced May 13 that to tackle COVID-19 cases, 50,000 ‘Made in India’ Ventilators will be purchased from PM-Cares Fund costing approximately Rs. 2000 crores.

• These government purchased ventilators will be provided to the government-run COVID-19 hospitals in all states and UTs for the better treatment of the critical cases.

• As per the Union Health Ministry, the total projected demand for Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) kit till June 2020 has been estimated to be Rs. 2.01 crore.

• So far, the central government has distributed over 1 crore PPE to various states and UTs. Adding to that, more than one crore N-95 masks have also been distributed to them so far.

Ventilators under ‘Make in India’ initiative:

Local manufacturers of ventilators were identified to take the ‘Make in India’ initiative further. The manufacturers were guided about creating new supply chains, specifications, finalising the training, and other protocols. They were also helped with logistic issues with state governments and suppliers.

The major domestic players for ventilators included Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) in collaboration with Skanray to whom the orders for 30,000 ventilators were given.

AgVa, another domestic manufacturer (in collaboration with Maruti Suzuki Limited) was asked for the consignment of 10,000 ventilators. The AMTZ (AP Medtech Zone) also received the orders of about 13,500 units.

Apart from these, Jyoti CNC, another Indian firm also got the orders to develop 5000 ventilators for the hospitals across the country.

Ventilators from International companies:

In the meantime, the orders for ventilators have also been placed on International Companies like Mindray, Hamilton, and Draeger. The Ministry of External Affairs has also approached China for sourcing 10,000 ventilators to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.