From 0 To 2.5 Lakh Per Day: How India Revolutionized Its Personal Protective Equipment Manufacturing

With the COVID-19 outbreak looming over the world, there is an alarming high demand and shortage in Personal Protective Equipment for the frontline workers. With no signs of improvement, the demand and supply for PPE are properly going to remain the same for the rest of 2020.

The world had been dependant on china for the manufacturing of basically everything. But with the COVID-19 originating from Wuhan, the country was paralyzed. And by the time the demand for PPEs has skyrocketed, the country couldn’t manufacture fast enough.

This, combining with the fact the PPEs from China have been accused to be substandard, forced the world to search for other sources.

And this, in turn, has been a driving force for India. In just two months, from making zero PPE kits to nearly 2.5 lakh kits along with 2 lakh N92 masks per day, the country has made a revolution. The number of PPE kits and masks is enough to help the country deal with the COVID-19 outbreak.

A Personal Protective Equipment kit includes a gown, an eye shield, a pair of gloves, a mask, and a shoe cover. The kits will be provided to doctors who treat COVID-19 patients.

In an interview, a senior official of the Health Ministry said that this was an optimistic and encouraging sight for India. On May 2, the number of protective gears manufactured made a record at 2.06 lakh kits.

Earlier, the country wasn’t capable of making its own PPE kits, thus having to import them. Within a short period of time, India has managed to increase its daily production of Personal Protective Equipment kits.

The country has a minimum of 110 domestic manufacturers. However, only 52 are working right now, including Alok Industries, Gokaldas Exports, JCT Phagwara, Aditya Birla, Gokaldas Exports, etc.

WHO has predicted that during the pandemic, 89 million masks, 76 million gloves, 30 million gowns, 2.9 million liters of hand sanitizers, and 1.6 million goggles are needed per month. PPE kits are also divided into different types, one for doctors and one for the investigation team.

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