New Delhi: The US will be sending 200 ventilators to India in two batches as part of its aid programme for Covid-19 under the aegis of United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
“The plan, as of now, is to deliver half of them (100 ventilators) in May and the remaining in June. USAID will give the final schedule next week,” said an official source adding that it is a “donation” that was cleared by the US President Donald Trump.
USAID will also be sharing the model names of the ventilators and technological specifications with the Indian side in the coming days.
Trump had last week announced on Twitter that his administration had decided to “donate” the ventilators to his “friends” in India.
“We stand with India and @narendramodi during this pandemic. We’re also cooperating on vaccine development. Together we will beat the invisible enemy,” Trump had said.
I am proud to announce that the United States will donate ventilators to our friends in India. We stand with India and @narendramodi during this pandemic. We’re also cooperating on vaccine development. Together we will beat the invisible enemy!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 15, 2020
Hours later, Prime Minister Narendra Modi thanked Trump and said the pandemic has to be fought “collectively by all of us”.
“Thank you @POTUS @realDonaldTrump … In such times, it’s always important for nations to work together and do as much as possible to make our world healthier and free from COVID-19,” tweeted Modi.
Thank you @POTUS @realDonaldTrump.
This pandemic is being fought collectively by all of us. In such times, it’s always important for nations to work together and do as much as possible to make our world healthier and free from COVID-19.
More power to 🇮🇳 – 🇺🇸 friendship! https://t.co/GRrgWFhYzR
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) May 16, 2020
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India not the only country receiving ventilators
The total cost of the ventilators could be around $3 million and will be paid for from the USAID’s donation to India for the coronavirus pandemic, sources said.
According to a White House spokesperson, India is “one of the several countries” that will be getting the “repurposed” ventilators from the US.
“It’s one of the several countries I noted that will be getting ventilators, because, you know, this President has done so well on ventilators — 100,000 in 100 days — that we are able to repurpose them and then send them around the world,” said White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany.
The announcement to donate the ventilators to India comes over a month after New Delhi had exported two key drugs, hydroxychloroquine and paracetamol, to the US.
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