Ventilator shortage: 'Make in India' devices not picked up by govt

Many facilities stopped production because govt did not procure the ventilators it had ordered last year

As India battles the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, several state governments are grappling with a shortage of ventilators, primarily because  domestic manufacturing and supply of ventilators dwindled after the initial push by the Centre last year.

With hospitals unwilling to take ‘Made in India’ ventilators, the government curtailed the requirement it had originally envisaged in 2020. And as orders from the government dried up, manufacturers, too, stopped production.

When the pandemic first hit last year, and exposed the country’s lack of medical preparedness, the central government stepped in to order ventilators in bulk from home-grown manufacturers. 

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