AMN / NEW DELHI
The government of India today lifted the export ban on all ventilators to push the outbound shipments of the product.
“All ventilators including any artificial respiratory apparatus or oxygen therapy apparatus or any other breathing appliance/device are made free for export,” the directorate general of foreign trade (DGFT) said in a notification.
The ban was imposed on March 24 to ensure domestic availability to fight Covid-19 pandemic.
On August 1, the group of ministers on Covid-19 has considered and agreed to the proposal of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to allow the export of made-in-India ventilators.
An official statement, issued on August 1, has said that this decision came on the heels of India continuing to maintain a progressively declining low rate of case fatality of Covid-19 patients, which means that fewer numbers of active cases are on ventilators.
Additionally, there has been substantial growth in the domestic manufacturing capacity of ventilators.