India has secured a place in the global export market of medical equipment, the Health Ministry said on Friday.
“In view of the strengthened domestic production capacity and having met the domestic requirements for personal protective equipment (PPEs), the revised notification of the Director General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) in July 2020 permitted export of PPEs. As a result of this relaxation, in the month of July itself, India exported 23 lakh PPEs to five countries. These include the U.S., the U.K., the UAE, Senegal and Slovenia. This has substantially aided India to position itself in the global export market of PPEs,” noted a release issued by the Ministry.
It added that the “Make in India’ spirit embedded in the Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan has resulted in providing resilience and self-sufficiency to the country for various medical equipment, including PPEs.
“While the Union Government is supplying PPEs, N95 masks, ventilators etc., to the State/UT Governments, States are also procuring these items directly. Between March to August 2020, they have procured 1.40 crore indigenous PPEs from their own budgetary resources. During the same period, the Centre has distributed 1.28 crore PPEs to States / UTs / Central Institutions, free of cost,” said the Ministry.
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At the inauguration of a voluntary blood donation campaign at All India Institute of Medical Sciences on Friday, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said, “In view of the COVID-19 pandemic, restrictions due to lockdown and apprehension about hospital environments, the number of voluntary donations and blood donation camps saw a significant decline.”
The Minister said that blood is required for emergency surgeries, to treat blood disorders like thalassemia, blood cancers and to aid those injured in road traffic accidents. “Hence the best way to serve humankind is voluntary blood donation,” he said.
Dr. Vardhan noted that India is registering a continuous rise in the recovery rate from COVID-19 and progressive fall in case fatality rate.
“We have ramped up our testing capacity which has crossed more than 8.4 lakh tests on Friday, with more than 1,450 testing labs spread across the country. We have confidence in the scientific developments taking place in the field of treatment and vaccines for COVID-19 and soon India will achieve more success in our fight against COVID-19,” he said.
Appreciating the initiative taken up by AIIMS, Dr. Vardhan said, “On the eve of Independence Day, this voluntary blood donation camp is a tribute to both fallen COVID white coat warriors and the Kargil martyrs. We must remember the ultimate sacrifice made by the COVID warriors, including doctors, nurses or paramedical staff while saving people’s lives.”
Published - August 14, 2020 04:43 pm IST
