The Victorian Government has offered to donate 1,000 ventilators and supporting equipment to India to assist with efforts to respond to a devastating second wave of coronavirus.
The donation will be made to the Commonwealth medical stockpile and the Victorian government is working with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) to deliver this support to India to treat the country’s infected population.
“The situation in India right now is devastating and shows that the fight against this pandemic is not over – we have a responsibility to help where we can and that’s exactly what we’re doing,” Acting Premier James Merlino said.
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The 1,000 ICU ventilators are currently owned by the Department of Health and will be donated to India for humanitarian purposes, an official statement said.
The donation will not affect Victorian health services as the ventilators have been sourced from the centralised State Supply Chain and are currently stored in a warehouse that has a stock of over 4,000.
Health Minister Martin Foley said it was thanks to the ‘strong stocks’ in Victoria that the government was able to offer these ventilators to India.
In addition to the ventilators, the Andrews Labor Government is preparing to send a range of supporting equipment like connectors and humidifiers, with the total package valued at over $41 million.
Minister for Multicultural Affairs Ros Spence said, “Our thoughts are with everyone impacted by this unfolding tragedy and we hope this package will go some way to addressing the challenges India is facing right now.”
READ ALSO: Australia dispatches medical supplies to India
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