New Delhi: India provided 15 tonnes of medical supplies to coronavirus-hit China comprising masks, gloves and other emergency medical equipment at a cost of about Rs 2.11 crore, the government informed the Lok Sabha on Wednesday.
In a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha, Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan said the medical supplies included one lakh surgical masks, five lakh pairs of surgical gloves, 75 pieces of infusion pumps, 30 pieces of enteral feeding pumps, 21 pieces of defibrillator and 4,000 pieces of N-95 masks.
These medical supplies cost approximately Rs 2.11 crore and were handed over to the Hubei Charity Federation in Wuhan, Muraleedharan said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had written to Chinese President Xi Jinping on February 8, 2020, in view of the coronavirus outbreak in China, conveying the solidarity of the Indian government and its people with the neighbouring nation and the readiness to provide assistance, he said.
The government provided 15 tonnes of medical supplies comprising masks, gloves and other emergency medical equipment to China on February 26, 2020, he said.
These supplies were delivered by an Indian Air Force C-17 special flight which landed in Wuhan, China, Muraleedharan said.
To a separate question, he said the government organised three special flights on January 31, February 1 and February 26 to evacuate 766 people, including students, from Wuhan as well as other cities of Hubei province in China in view of the continuing lockdown of the province.
The evacuated persons included 723 Indian nationals and 43 foreigners — 23 from Bangladesh, nine from Maldives, two from Myanmar and one each from South Africa, Madagascar and United States, Muraleedharan said.
“In addition, six Chinese citizens who were spouses and/or children of Indian nationals were also evacuated,” he said.
PTI
