The Union Health Ministry on August 13 said most of the medical supplies required for tackling the coronavirus are now being manufactured domestically.
“Most of the products supplied by the Government of India were not being manufactured in the country in the beginning. The rising global demand due to the pandemic resulted in their scarce availability in the foreign markets,” the ministry noted.
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However, the Health Ministry said in recent months the domestic industry had been “encouraged and facilitated” to manufacture and supply essential medical equipment like personal protection equipment (PPEs), N95 masks and ventilators -- suggesting a boost to the Centre’s ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ campaign.
According to the Health Ministry, 22,533 ‘Make in India’ ventilators have been delivered to various states, Union Territories and central institutions and their installation and commissioning were being ensured.
The Centre said it had been providing medical supplies free of cost to the states and UTs to supplement their efforts. The Health Ministry said it had distributed 30 million N95 masks and 12.8 million PPE kits for healthcare workers across states. Additionally, more than 10.8 crores Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) tablets had been distributed.
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