The Government of India has also issued a manual and advice on the use of homemade protective covers for the face and mouth for use by the general public, the minister said.
To date, the government has developed a total of 1,100 indigenous manufacturers of personal protective equipment (PPE) kits, most of them from the MSMEs sector, Lok Sabha reported Wednesday.
In a written response, the Minister of State for Health, Ashwini Choubey, told the Lower House that the production capacity of PPE coveralls is almost 5 lakh per day with the potential to create additional capacity to meet demand. He spoke of an increase in the production capacity of PPE equipment in the country since the start of the closure.
“From no local manufacturer to begin with… the government has developed 1,100 indigenous manufacturers of personal protective equipment (PPE) to date, most of them from the micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) sector,” Choubey said.
He said that the Ministry of Health, in its guidelines, on the rational use of personal protective equipment, has issued specifications and standards that must be followed, including medical masks for the use of health workers and other front-line workers. . These specifications are available in the public domain through the website of the Ministry of Health, he said.
The government of India has also issued a manual and warning on the use of homemade protective face and mouth covers for the general public, the minister said.
On the measures taken by the Center for the burning or deep burial of used medical masks/kits throughout the country, Choubey said that the Central Pollution Control Board and the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change have issued guidelines for the handling, treatment, and disposal of waste. generated during the treatment/diagnosis/quarantine of patients with COVID-19, both in facilities and at home.
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