Health Minister Eatala Rajender has requested the Central government to take steps to waive Customs and other duties levied on import of medical equipment from abroad.
The government should also ensure that no taxes are levied on medicines and medical equipment manufactured domestically as it would come as breather to the State governments. The Minister was participating in a video conference conducted by Union Health Minister Harshvardhan on Friday to review the coronavirus (COVID-19) situation in the country.
Mr. Rajender said the Centre should entrust manufacture of ventilators and other medical equipment to agencies like the ECIL and DRDO for supply to the States. At the same time, steps should be initiated to ensure that requirement of the States relating to N-95 masks, personal protection equipment kits, testing kits and other necessary equipment were fulfilled.
There was need for steps to curb black-marketing of medical equipment used to check spread of coronavirus and the Centre should procure the equipment from the companies and supply them to the State.
The Minister said there was no community transmission of coronavirus in Telangana so far. In all, 8,500 samples had been tested of which 471 were reported positive. Forty five persons admitted into different hospitals were discharged after undergoing treatment and 12 succumbed to the virus in the State.
Referring to the ongoing lockdown, the Minister suggested that the Centre should elicit the views of all States before taking a decision on the extension of the lockdown.
