A dedicated Coordination Cell is handling the receipt and allocation of foreign COVID relief material

As global aid continues to pour in, 6,608 Oxygen Concentrators, 3,856 Oxygen Cylinders, 14 Oxygen Generation Plants, 4,330 ventilators/ Bi PAP/ C PAP and more than 3 lakh Remdesivir vials have been delivered or dispatched to different states and Union Territories (UTs) across India.

With the unprecedented surge in the number of Covid-1919 cases across the country in the second wave, the global community is extending a helping hand to support India’s efforts to meet the challenges and requirements.

On its part, the central government has been ensuring that this global aid is being effectively & promptly allocated and delivered to States and UTs to supplement their efforts during this critical phase, the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said on Sunday.

India has been receiving international donations and aid of Covid-19 relief medical supplies and equipment from different countries and organisations since April 27.

Effective immediate allocation, and streamlined delivery to the recipient states and Union Territories and institutions is an ongoing exercise. This is being comprehensively monitored by the health ministry on a regular basis.

A dedicated Coordination Cell is handling the receipt and allocation of foreign COVID relief material as grants, aid and donations. This cell began functioning from April 26. A Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) has also been framed and implemented by the Health Ministry since May 2.

In a statement on May 5, the health ministry had said that all these relief medical supplies and equipment were being allocated in a timely manner to 38 tertiary care institutions and 31 states and UTs, in the first tranche.

"This is done considering certain criteria like number of active cases, case fatality rate, positivity rate, and need," the ministry had said.

This will help to supplement the medical infrastructure of these institutions and 31 States/UTs, and strengthen their clinical management capacities for prompt and effective clinical management of the hospitalised COVID19 patients.

The cargo clearance and deliveries are facilitated without delay in coordination with agencies concerned. The deliveries and further installations, if required, are also being monitored by the Health Ministry on a regular basis.