UNICEF sends 3,000 oxygen concentrators to India as country battles COVID-19

The UNICEF said on Saturday that it sent critical lifesaving supplies, including 3,000 oxygen concentrators, to help India amid the ravaging second coronavirus wave.

The United Nations child rights agency has supplied more than 500 high-flow nasal cannulas and 85 RT-PCR machines.

It is supporting the procurement and installation of 25 oxygen plants for hospitals in the Northeast and Maharashtra, and the installation of more than 70 thermal scanners at various ports of entry nationwide, it said.

“The scenes we are seeing in India are simply devastating,” George Laryea-Adjei, UNICEF regional director for South Asia, said in a statement. “The most vulnerable families are paying a steep price for this deadly new surge.”

The UNICEF called on all partners who are able to support to immediately respond to the deadly new wave that is severely overstraining the health system in India, it said, stressing that urgent action was needed.

“UNICEF has sent critical lifesaving supplies, including 3,000 oxygen concentrators, diagnostic tests, medical kits, and other equipment to help India in its battle with a deadly wave of COVID-19,” it stated.

“Much more is needed as the outbreak continues to spread rapidly,” Yasmin Haque, UNICEF representative in India, said in a statement.

The UNICEF has also been assisting the government in ensuring functioning of the critical services for the most vulnerable children. The organisation has provided more than 11,000 personal protection kits for functionaries working on India’s Childline so that childcare services could continue.

Across all the states, the UNICEF is providing guidance and support for the safety and care of children in childcare institutions.

The UNICEF is also providing technical support to the government and partners to help 1.23 crore children in 17 states continue learning from home.

For example, mobile learning centres in Bihar are helping 28,000 children who did not have access to any type of digital equipment to continue learning.

“The UNICEF and partners also continue to support the Government of India in the acceleration of the national vaccine rollout to equitably reach all population groups,” it said,

Through its work on risk communication and communication engagement (RCCE), UNICEF has also consistently worked to counter misinformation and promote COVID-appropriate behaviours.

New multimedia content is produced weekly in multiple languages for broadcast on digital channels and media, especially at the state level, it added. PTI