To prepare for any COVID-19 related contingency, Punjab Government is building up its stocks of life-saving equipment such as masks, gloves, ventilators, PPE kits etc, with large quantities of these materials already in stock and many more expected to be available over the next few days.
By March 31, the state will have another 25,000 N95 masks, in addition to the 52,500 it already has in stock, along with one lakh Nitrile gloves. While the State Government already has at its disposal 26.32 lakh triple layer masks (TLMs), another 12 lakh will get added to the inventory by April 1, said the state Additional Chief Secretary Vini Mahajan.
As far as the much-needed Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) kits, the government has ordered a total of one lakh, of which 7,640 have already been received, said Mahajan, adding that all efforts were being made to procure the balance at the earliest.
Other critical supplies already available with the government include 10425 hand sanitizers and 17,000 VTM kits, with 2,000 and 10,000 more, respectively, already on the way and expected to be added to the inventory by April 1. The Government is also procuring the much-needed ventilators for handling critical cases, she added.
To reduce dependence on outside vendors, the Government has roped in local manufacturers, she said, adding that samples prepared by them were at present in testing phase.
“Business to business tie-ups are being facilitated, as a result of which 10 lakh pieces of indigenously made hazmat armour suits have been ordered by the Central Government from JCT Mills,” said Mahajan, adding that to facilitate testing of these suits, the Punjab Police had taken samples through the lockdown to Delhi from where they were taken to the Central testing laboratory at Coimbatore via a special flight.
The state was also in continuous discussion with the Health Ministry and other central ministries involved in regulatory clearances, to handhold the entrepreneurs and fast track clearances to enable ‘Made in Punjab’ ventilators, she said, adding that the State Government will ensure immediate orders for these as soon as the clearances come in.
