Shipment of 18 ICU ventilators arrives in Maldives

Medtech Maldives Private Limited, on Sunday, announced its shipment of 18 ICU ventilators procured by the Maldivian government has been airlifted to the country.

Medtech has a MVR 14.4 million contract with the government to supply 50 ICU ventilators – part of the government’s efforts to increase the number of ventilators in the country to 200.

The company had been scheduled to deliver the first 18 ventilators on May 1.

According to Medtech, its shipment of 18 ventilators and urgent medical consumables was airlifted to Maldives with the assistance of SriLankan airlines on Sunday morning.

The government also signed contracts with two other companies to secure ventilators.

The government signed a MVR 8.3 million contract with Naadu Private Limited to supply 26 ventilators and a MVR 34 million contract with Dubai-based Executors General Trading LLC to supply 75 ventilators through the World Health Organization (WHO).

According to Health Minister Abdulla Ameen, the companies were facing major challenges in supplying the ventilators within the promised timeframe; lockdowns on countries which produce ventilators, disruption in the operations of companies which produce ventilators, and the global surge in demand for ventilators.

National Emergency Operations Center has previously stated that Maldives currently had 97 ventilators.

790 people have tested positive for COVID-19 in Maldives, out of whom 27 have since recovered. Three people have died from complications, while two are in serious condition and breathing with the assistance of ventilators.