UK sends oxygen equipment to support India battling against Covid-19

Three oxygen generation units will be sent from surplus stocks in Northern Ireland to support India by providing more oxygen to those suffering from COVID-19.

The oxygen units are each capable of producing 500 litres of oxygen per minute, enough for 50 people to use at a time. Oxygen is one of the main needs of India’s healthcare system, an official statement claimed.

This follows the UK’s recent action to support India, with 495 oxygen concentrators and 200 ventilators sent from surplus stocks.

The first batch of these medical supplies arrived in Delhi around 01:00 local time on Tuesday, with the rest due to arrive in Delhi by Friday. The equipment will all then be transferred to Indian hospitals.

The support was sent in response to a request from India and a pledge from Prime Minister Boris Johnson for the UK to do all it can to help.

The assistance package has been sourced by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and funded by the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office.

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said: “We stand with our Indian friends in their fight against COVID-19. International collaboration is more essential than ever, and this additional UK support package will help meet India’s current needs, particularly for more oxygen.”

India has this week reported its highest numbers of new daily cases and deaths since the pandemic began and is facing severe shortages of oxygen.

DHSC have worked closely with the NHS, as well as suppliers and manufacturers in the UK to identify surplus life-saving equipment that can be sent to India.

This is the just the latest example of UK-India collaboration throughout this pandemic, to the benefit of both countries and the world.