In the war against the global pandemic Coronavirus, a lot of questions are being raised about the country's lack of medical device ventilators. But, meanwhile, there has been a case of 200 ventilators from abroad being hanged at the Chennai port since the year 2018. The problem with these ventilators here is that they are second-hand, meaning they have been used.
Import of used ventilators and other equipment is prohibited according to the waste management regulations of the Ministry of Environment and Forests. In India, such machines are classified as 'harmful'. These ventilators sourced from the US cannot be returned as the Indian government has banned the export of all types of ventilators in view of the Corona crisis.
According to the information, the Chennai-based SkyLark Office Machine imported them from the US in November 2018. Customs officials seized these ventilators and fined the company. The company went to the Customs, Excise and Service Tax Appellate Tribunal from where the company was ordered to export them back to the US, which is currently not possible.
Now the company has written a letter to Tamil Nadu Medical Services Corporation, a Tamil Nadu government undertaking, seeking permission to use them under special circumstances in the treatment of corona infected patients. The company says that they have already imported them and they can be exempted from the rules under the special category.
On March 31, the corporation had approached the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) Chennai office to approve their import. The DGFT Delhi Headquarters had approved their use on April 4 after getting permission from the Ministry of Environment. The directorate has instructed the chief secretary and health secretary to tighten these machines on quality and safety standards and recommend their use in hospitals.
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