New Delhi: Amid reports of shortage of medical equipment across India to fight COVID 19, the Union Health Ministry has suggested state governments not to go for procurement of crucial medical equipment like PPEs, N95 masks and ventilators by their own.
"This should be procured centrally by Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and distributed to the states," a letter issued from the Health Ministry to all State governments has said.
The ministry in the letter said that certain States are holding sufficient stock of material with them, but the field functionaries have been reported to be functioning without such equipment.
"The state government should ensure timely distribution of the key equipment to field functionaries timely," the letter said.
The letter said that some inventories of ventilators might be lying in States, not in working condition for want of some intervention.
"State Health Department may look into this inventory management and to ensure that such crucial medical equipment are put in working conditions at the earliest to address the need for COVID-19 management, " the letter issued to the States and Union Territories said.
The Health Ministry further suggested that adequate assessment of skilled and trained manpower to operate this equipment should also be assessed by the state and adequate training module should be organised for the skill upgradation.
"Oxygen cylinders availability in the states need to be quantified and the states need to ensure their sufficient availability for the management of COVID patients," the ministry said in its letter.
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