France donates ventilator, test kits to India as COVID-19 assistance

Amid growing number of COVID-19 cases in India, France has donated medical equipment, including ventilators and test kits, as assistance in the fight against the pandemic. French Air Force delivered the medical equipment on Tuesday, July 28. 

French President Emmanuel Macron had recently announced the donation of medical equipment from France to India as well as the provision of technical expertise.

"As longstanding strategic partners, France and India are working together closely on the international response to the Covid-19 pandemic as well as providing reciprocal assistance according to the needs of the two countries," the French embassy in India said in a statement. 

Indian government sources said France is an important strategic partner and India had also provided certain life-saving drugs in their time of need to help them deal with the pandemic.

It is a happy coincidence that this equipment has arrived at the same time as the Rafale jets are supposed to land, sources said. 

The material being provided by France includes 50 Osiris-3 ventilators, 70 Yuwell-830 ventilators with BIPAP mode, 50,000 serological tests (IgM/IgG Duo test kits by Biosensor) and 50,000 nose and throat swabs. 

The ventilators and test kits were received by the Indian Red Cross Society and ICMR, respectively.

Sources in the government said Macron has also written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, expressing France’s solidarity with India at this difficult time. 

"The India-France partnership will be even more crucial in the post-pandemic scenario including in the domain of humanitarian assistance," they said. 

In a letter dated 24 July, Macron thanked Modi for India’s support to France earlier this year. 

“When France was going through a critical phase of this public health crisis earlier this spring, India was by our side. It played a very important role with regard to medicines. I wish to thank you once again for having authorised the export of medicines essential for the treatment of critically ill patients. This gesture reflected the exceptional nature of the partnership between our two countries," the letter said.

"India, in turn, is going through a difficult phase of the crisis. In these painful times for your nation, I desired France to stand fully by your side. To this end, I directed that we be able to respond to the needs identified by your administration by extending aid that is exceptional in its scope and modalities. I believe that it is during tough times that historic ties are forged and strengthened between nations," Macron said, according to the French Embassy statement. 

An expert mission on inter-hospital transfers by military means was also dispatched. France acquired expertise in this matter during the crisis as it had to organize many transfers between hospitals.

The equipment and the personnel were transported on a French Air Force A330 MRTT equipped with a “Morpheus” kit, which enables the transport of critically ill patients.

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 22 June, with the programme designed by the World Bank already being rolled out.