On Monday, the BMC declared Wockhardt Hospital in South Mumbai, a containment zone after over 40 nurses were found to be coronavirus positive while they treated a coronavirus infected patient in the hospital. Representatives of the nurses who are inside the hospital have alleged that the hospital did not take enough precautions while handling the infected patient, thereby putting the lives of the healthcare workers in the hospital at risk. Wockhardt's chairman Habil Khorakiwala said all protocols were followed.
The Wockhardt Hospital has been sealed and it has become a bigger 'hotspot' than most Mumbai wards. The case of Wockhardt Hospital yet again highlights the lack personal protective equipment (PPEs) and N95 masks for doctors who are working day and night treating coronavirus patients.
Union Health Ministry on Sunday accepted the shortage of PPEs and N95 masks. However, they also said that the shortage is easing out in India. As per reports, India on Monday received 1.70 lakh personal protection equipment (PPE) by China as a gesture of donation. But still, the numbers are too low in the population of 130 crores.
Need of PPEs To India:
NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant on Wednesday said India needs to build a manufacturing base for ventilators and personal protective equipment (PPEs) not only to contain the spread of Covid-19 but for the future as well, in line with India Make-in-India resolve.
Becoming a manufacturing hub is a good idea by the NITI Aayog however, it does not solve the present scenario of coronavirus which has affected the doctors. As per government reports, only 2.94 lakh PPE coveralls have been arranged and supplied by the Centre till now to states.
In addition to this, 2 lakh domestically produced N-95 masks are also being sent to various hospitals. Including these, over 20 lakh N-95 masks have been supplied by the government of India. One of the live examples of the shortage came when PM Modi was in a meeting with Chief Ministers of other states. Bihar's Chief Minister Nitish Kumar in the video conference said to PM Modi that the state has only got 4,000 kits while he asked for 5 lakhs medical kits from the center.
The lack of adequate protective gear has been echoing from various parts of the country as health professionals have been increasingly falling prey to the virus in the line of duty.
India Exporting Medical Kits To Other Countries:
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At a time when authorities are struggling to provide protective gear to thousands of doctors battling coronavirus in hospitals, news broke out that India provided tonnes of protective medical equipment to Serbia. After the Modi government was harshly criticized by the people of India over this export, the government clarified. Joint Secretary in the Union Health Ministry Luv Agrawal, during a press conference on Tuesday, said, "I am not aware of this. I will check and revert with details."
Later, it was revealed that the items which come under prohibited list were not exported that include PPEs, Masks and ventilators. According to the commerce ministry's amendment in export policy, dated March 9, 2020, masks, ventilators, the textile raw material for masks and coveralls, fall in the 'prohibited' category of items and cannot be exported.