In affidavit in Supreme Court, the Ministry says India has only 1,224 oxygen tankers and that is being increased to 2,000.
The Union Home Ministry claimed in an affidavit in the Supreme Court on Tuesday that since October 2020 as many as 10,787 ventilators have been installed in various hospitals across the country.
There is a sudden upsurge in demand for ventilator beds in many States amid the second wave of COVID-19 with over 3 lakh cases being reported daily. Many patients with serious conditions require ventilators for lung support.
The Ministry said that post-April 1, following requests by the State governments, 3,835 additional ventilators had been dispatched. It said that in April, “oxygen concentrators received in donation from other sources” had also been given to the States.
The Ministry said the machines were purchased by the Union Health Ministry and there was no mention in the affidavit if they were procured from the PM-CARES fund.
The Prime Minister’s Citizen…