As India grapples with the surging Covid-19 cases, the World Health Organisation or WHO has pitched in to provide medical aid to the country. In a media statement, it said, essential supplies like oxygen concentrators, tents, respirator masks and disposable sampling kits have reached 26 States and Union Territories in India.
“These supplies will help meet immediate needs while countries make long-term arrangements,” Poonam Khetrapal Singh, Regional Director, WHO, South-East Asia, said while further adding, “last week, 4,000 oxygen concentrators, more than 120 tents, 400 medical beds for mobile hospitals, 1.2 million respirator masks, and 650,000 disposable sampling kits were flown into Delhi.”
Meanwhile, WHO has provided over 340 MT of essential medical supplies and medicines to the South-East Asia Region. Most recently, WHO has rushed 60 metric tons of much needed diarrheal disease kits, and (personal protective equipment) PPEs to Bangladesh.
“Jointly assessing needs and gaps with countries in the Region, WHO is bringing in more supplies in the coming weeks for Nepal, Bhutan, Maldives and Sri Lanka,” the release further added.
Earlier, WHO provided 43 metric tons of supplies including PPEs, diarrheal disease kits, tents, pulse oximeter, infrared thermometers and field deployment kits to Timor-Leste to respond to pandemic as well as floods that hit the island country last month, it further added.