UK sends oxygen equipment to support India

Britain's pledge adds to medical supplies already sent to help India fight Covid-19

The UK will send more vital oxygen equipment to India to support the country’s fight against the coronavirus.

Three oxygen-generation units will be sent from surplus stocks in Northern Ireland to support Indians suffering from Covid-19.

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

The UK recently sent 495 oxygen concentrators and 200 ventilators from surplus stocks.

The first batch arrived in New Delhi on Tuesday, with the rest due to arrive by Friday.

The equipment will 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 could to help.

The assistance package has been sourced by the Department of Health and Social Care and funded by the Foreign Office.

“We stand with our Indian friends in their fight against Covid-19," UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said.

"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 this week reported its highest number of new daily cases and deaths since the pandemic began.

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