JOIN USCentre decides to allow export of indigenous ventilators as Covid-19 fatality rate falls to 2.15%
Centre on Saturday allowed export of ‘Made-in-India’ ventilators following a glut in the market as domestic manufacturers stepped in to boost production and a decline in the proportion of Covid-19 patients requiring intensive care.
The Group of Ministers (GoM) on Covid-19 approved the decision to allow exports after the case fatality rate declined to 2.15%, indicating that fewer number of active cases were on ventilators, an official statement said.
Health Minister Harsh Vardhan had told the GoM on Friday that only 2.32% of the Covid-19 patients under medical supervision were on oxygen support, 1.61% was on intensive care and 0.28% on ventilator support. These numbers were reported on Thursday.
On Friday, the proportion of patients on ventilators had marginally reduced to 0.22% of the 5.65 lakh patients under medical supervision.
In mid-May, 2.7% of patients were on oxygen support, 3.1% were in ICUs and 0.45% were on ventilator support.
The decision to allow export of ventilators drew sharp criticism from the Congress.
“Is there no shortage of ventilators in all hospitals in the country. Is this decision in the public interest,” Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala said.
India had banned the export of ventilators in March to ensure domestic availability of the machines that keep critically ill patients breathing and appealed local manufacturers to collaborate with automakers to step up production.
The industry complied and automakers such as Maruti Suzuki, Mahindra & Mahindra and PSUs such as BEL and BHEL stepped in to meet the challenge taking the total manufactures of the breathing devices to 20.
However, the Association of Indian Medical Device Industry (AIMeD) had written to the government last month on the lifting of the export ban as domestic manufacturers had piled up huge inventories for lack of adequate orders from the government.
The domestic manufacturers had slowed down production in June on account of unsold inventory, leading to concerns of creation of non-performing assets in the nascent industry.
“Now with export of ventilators having been allowed, it is hoped that domestic ventilators would be in a position to find new markets for Indian ventilators in foreign countries,” an official statement said.