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First 100 ventilators donated to India to be shipped next week: Donald Trump
The US President had first announced the plan to donate the ventilators through a tweet on May 16, when he said the two sides were also working on developing a vaccine for Covid-19.
The United States expects to ship the first tranche of 100 ventilators, out of 200 machines it plans to donate to India, by next week, President Donald Trump told Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a phone conversation.
Trump had first announced the plan to donate the ventilators through a tweet on May 16, when he said the two sides were also working on developing a vaccine for Covid-19.
The donation of the ventilators figured during President Trump’s phone call to PM Modi on Tuesday, and the president said he was “happy to announce that the US would be ready to ship the first tranche of 100 donated ventilators to India next week,” according to a White House pool report.
The two leaders also discussed the upcoming G7 Summit in September, the Covid-19 response of the two countries and regional security issues. President Trump invited PM Modi to attend the G7 Summit.
Ramona El Hamzaoui, acting director of the US Agency for International Development (USAID) in India, had told reporters last month: “This is a donation. The US government plans to donate 200 ventilators to India.”
She added, “USAID, on behalf of the US and through the generosity of the American people…is providing access to medical supplies and ventilators to India and other countries.”
USAID has been working with India’s health ministry, the Indian Red Cross Society and other stakeholders in both countries to assist in the delivery, transportation and placement of the ventilators.
The US government, private companies, and non-profit and academic organisations have shared their expertise with partner countries such as India on the production of ventilators and other equipment.
USAID has so far announced $5.9 million in funding for India to combat Covid-19, including $2.9 million to provide care to the affected, disseminate information, contact tracing and surveillance, and $3 million to support a financing facility that can mobilise private sector resources to assist more than 20,000 health facilities enrolled under India’s health insurance scheme.
