Unites States provides second shipment of 100 ventilators to India

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The U.S. Government, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), in coordination with the Government of India and the Indian Red Cross Society, donated the second shipment of 100 new, state-of-the-art ventilators to asIndia in its fight against COVID-19, according to a Sept. 2, 2020 press release from the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi.

“We are very pleased to hand over the final tranche of 100 ventilators to India, fulfilling President Trump’s commitment to provide these critically needed supplies to support India’s pandemic response,” U.S. Ambassador Kenneth I. Juster is quoted saying in the press release.

The ventilators are manufactured in the United States and are compact, easy to deploy, and provide India with flexibility in treating patients affected by the virus, the press release said.

In addition to the ventilators, USAID is funding a package of support that includes warranties and additional supplies required to operate these machines, such as tubes, filters, and other necessary components. USAID is also working in close coordination with the Government of India to enhance the capacity of the health facilities using these ventilators by facilitating setup, orientations, and clinical training for health care providers responsible for operating the machines.

The first shipment of 100 ventilators arrived in India on June 14. Since then, the ventilators have been deployed to support the care of COVID-19 patients at the eight regional All India Institute of Medical Sciences.

“The total donation of 200 ventilators builds on the long history of U.S.-India collaboration in the health sector and the assistance that USAID has committed to India in response to the COVID-19 pandemic,” the press release said.

According to the USAID, as of August 7, a total of 3 million people in India have directly benefited from USAID support which includes training 40,700 health workers on best practices to integrate COVID-19 prevention and risk mitigation into essential health services; training  46,000 frontline workers on risk communication; and providing  950 health care facilities with support to increase social distancing, infection prevention control, and patient management.

Here is a video on the delivery of ventilators to India: https://youtu.be/WcjiwI8QErk