New Delhi: The central government has started emphasising on Make in India concept in order to meet the shortage of Personnel Protective Equipment (PPEs), N95 masks and other necessary health equipment to fight against COVID-19.
This assumed significance following a report that India needs at least 38 million masks and 6.2 million pieces of PPEs at a time when the country is fighting with the pandemic.
Admitting that India was mainly procuring masks, PPEs and ventilators from aborad, Luv Agarwal, joint secretary in the Health Ministry told ETV Bharat that a consignment of masks, PPEs and ventilators arrived in India on Saturday.
Significantly, Invest India, a national investment promotion and facilitation agency has said in a report that India needed 38 million masks and 6.2 million PPEs to fight against Covid 19.
"Invest India might have missed the quantity we have in our stocks both for masks and PPEs," said Ratan Gangakhedkar, a senior scientist from Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).
It is to be mentioned here that, Invest India is a national investment promotion and facilitation agency, focusses on sector-specific investor targeting and development of new partnership to enable sustainable investments in India.
It was set up up 2009, under the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade, Ministry of Commerce.
The Health Ministry officials, however, said that the government is trying its best to ensure required healthcare protective gear.
Also Read: People breaking law playing with their lives, says PM Modi on COVID-19 lockdown
"We have a good quantity of gadgets but we need more," said Aggrawal without divulging the numbers.
Highlighting that PPEs are mainly made of imported clothes, Aggrawal said, "At this situation, when getting such imported clothes are not possible, the health ministry in consultation with Ministry of Textile and other prominent manufacturers across the country, we have decided to develop PPEs by our own."
He informed that 10 manufacturers have been selected and they have already started manufacturing PPEs.
"All PPEs would be made following strict protocol and guidelines of the World Health Organisation (WHO)," said Aggrawal.
Significantly, two prominent Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) Bharat Heavy Electronics Limited (BHEL) and Hindustan Latex Limited (HLL) have also been asked to provide 40,000 indigenously built ventilators.
"We have asked BHEL to provide 30,000 ventilators and HLL 10,000," said Aggrawal.
Ventilators are required for people admitted in ICU to get fresh air to flow in and out of their lungs. India, however, has a shortage of ICU beds too.
Ironically, according to an estimate India has 70,000 ICU beds available, big and small hospitals and nursing homes which can hardly cater to some 5 million patients.
Doctors treating COVID-19 patients have also expressed hesitation due to the absence of such body protective gear.
"Without such essential body protective gear, it is very dangerous to treat the patients suffering from infectious diseases," said a doctor from a prestigious medical institution in the country on condition of anonymity.
If India enters into stage 3 of COVID-19 (community transmission), shortage of such essential health equipment may pose a big threat for both Central and state governments.
Also Read: Covid-19 Mythbusters: Facts about transmission of coronavirus!
