France to Provide Medical Equipments Like Ventilators in Responding to COVID-19 Crisis

France is an important strategic partner for India and it has provided medical equipment including ventilators apart from expertise to help in the country's response to COVID-19 pandemic.

They said that it is a "happy coincidence" that this equipment has arrived at the same time as the Rafale jets are supposed to land.

France has donated 120 ventilators and 50,000 COVID-19 testing kits to India to combat the spread of the virus as the total count of positive cases in the country has inched closer to 1.5 million-mark.

This coincides with the arrival of five Rafale fighter aircraft from France to India. The jets took off on Monday for India from an airbase in France to join the IAF fleet in Ambala on Wednesday.

"France has now provided medical equipment and expertise to India for our response to the COVID-19 pandemic and it is a happy coincidence that this equipment has arrived at the same time as the Rafale jets are supposed to land," a told media.

As part of this medical assistance package, France has provided to India 50 Osiris-3 ventilators and 70 Yuwell 830 ventilators with bilevel positive airway pressure (BiPAP) mode.

Osiris ventilators are particularly useful for emergency transport, intra-hospital transfer and recovery. They have different ventilation modes, including non-invasive ventilation.

The Yuwell 830 ventilators have BiPAP - a non-invasive technique to supply oxygen to the lungs without intubation. These high-quality ventilators will meet the needs of Indian hospitals.

France also donated 50,000 high-quality serological IgG/IgM test kits and 50,000 nose and throat swabs and modes of medical transport.

France had previously extended financial support of 200 million euros to India through the French Development Agency (AFD) to boost social welfare systems and protect vulnerable people in India.

The credit financing agreement was signed on June 22.