In the backdrop of Opposition parties urging the Central government to immediately distribute all foreign Covid-related aid, the Union health ministry on Friday said that as many as 12,269 oxygen cylinders, 4.2 lakh Remdesivir doses, 10,796 oxygen concentrators and 19 oxygen plants received as global aid were dispatched to various states and UTs from April 27 to May 13.
This development comes in the backdrop of India logging 3,43,144 new coronavirus infections and 4,000 fatalities on Thursday. Of the new infections, Maharashtra reported the highest daily new cases of 42,582. It is followed by Kerala with 39,955 while Karnataka reported 35,297 new infections.
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However, providing a sigh of relief to the overburdened healthcare system, India's total active caseload decreased to 37,04,893 and now comprises 15.41 per cent of the country's total cases.
Amid this, foreign medial aid has been pouring in from various quarters.
According to the health ministry, the major consignments received on May 12/13 from Indonesia, Luxembourg, Oman, South Korea, the UK, USISPF, Finland and Greece include oxygen concentrators (1,506), oxygen cylinders (434) and ventilators/BiPAP/CPAP (58).
Cumulatively, 10,796 oxygen concentrators, 12,269 oxygen cylinders, 19 oxygen generation plants, 6,497 ventilators or Bi PAP; about 4.2 lakh Remdesivir vials have been delivered or dispatched through road and air from April 27 to May 13, the ministry said.
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"Effective immediate allocation, and streamlined delivery to the recipient states and union territories and institutions is an ongoing exercise," it said.
The Union health ministry is comprehensively monitoring this on a regular basis.
A dedicated coordination cell has been created in the ministry to coordinate the receipt and allocation of foreign COVID relief material as grants, aid and donations. This cell started functioning from April 26.
A standard operating procedure has been framed and implemented by the health ministry since May 2, 2021.
The government of India, at the forefront of the "whole of government" approach to combat the ongoing Covid-19, has been receiving international donations and aid of Covid-19 relief medical supplies and equipment since April 27 from different countries or organisations to augment its efforts in fighting the unprecedented surge of cases.
Through a streamlined and systematic mechanism, various ministries and departments of the government of India have seamlessly collaborated for expeditiously delivering the incoming global aid to states and union territories, the ministry said.
(With PTI inputs)
