Coronavirus in India: Over 50,000 Chinese PPE kits fail quality test, dumped later

Coronavirus in India: Over 50,000 Chinese PPE kits fail quality test, dumped later

FPJ Web DeskUpdated: Thursday, April 16, 2020, 06:29 PM IST
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Photo Credit: PTI

Amidst the novel coronavirus pandemic which has wreaked havoc in the world, claiming 136,032 lives and infecting 2,099,648 people globally so far, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) kits are of the highest demand world-over and China is its largest supplier.

Meanwhile, China had donated the Indian government 170,000 PPE kits which arrived on April 5. These kits were tested at the Defence Research and Development Organisation laboratory in Gwalior. However, it was found out that over 50,000 PPE kits failed the quality test and had to be dumped. “Two small consignments with 30,000 and 10,000 PPE kits, too, failed tests,” a person aware of the matter told ET.

The government is procuring only CE/FDA certified PPE kits and non-certified kits need to pass the quality tests in India, the person said, adding that those kits which came as donations failed these tests and hence, were rejected.

Meanwhile, the Indian Government has placed an order of 10 lakh PPE kits to a company in Singapore. However, all suits will be sourced from China only, reported ET. The government has estimated that if India has 2 million PPE kits, the country would be in a comfortable position.

"Domestic PPE production has increased to 30,000 kits a day, hitting the target a week earlier than scheduled, and is expected to touch 50,000 by the end of the month. Cumulatively, we have produced over 150,000 suits and should be able to manufacture an additional 100,000 by the weekend,” sources told ET.

Meanwhile, India's total number of coronavirus positive cases rose to 12,759 (including 10,824 active cases, 1514 cured/discharged/migrated and 420 deaths), said Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Thursday evening.

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