The UK will send further vital oxygen equipment to India in
support of the country’s fight against COVID-19.
Three oxygen generation units will be sent from surplus
stocks in Northern Ireland to support India by providing more
oxygen to those suffering from COVID-19. The oxygen units are
each capable of producing 500 litres of oxygen per minute, enough
for 50 people to use at a time. Oxygen is one of the main needs
of India’s healthcare system.
This follows the UK’s recent action to support India, with
495 oxygen concentrators and 200 ventilators sent from surplus
stocks. The first batch of these medical supplies arrived in
Delhi around 01:00 local time on Tuesday 27 April, with the rest
due to arrive in Delhi by Friday. The equipment will all then be
transferred to Indian hospitals.
The support was sent in response to a request from India
and a pledge from Prime Minister for the UK to do all it can to help. The assistance
package has been sourced by the Department of Health and Social
Care (DHSC) and funded by the Foreign, Commonwealth &
Development Office.
Foreign Secretary said:
“We stand with our Indian friends in their fight
against COVID-19.
“International collaboration is more essential than
ever, and this additional UK support package will help meet
India’s current needs, particularly for more oxygen.”
India has this week reported its highest numbers of new
daily cases and deaths since the pandemic began and is facing
severe shortages of oxygen.
DHSC have worked closely with the NHS, as well as suppliers
and manufacturers in the UK to identify surplus life-saving
equipment that can be sent to India.
This is the just the latest example of UK-India
collaboration throughout this pandemic, to the benefit of both
countries and the world.
