New Delhi: China, the world’s main supplier of personal protection equipment (PPE), has apparently sent some poor quality kits to India that have been found to be unusable. However, consignments that failed the quality tests are those received as donations from big private companies in India, Economic Times reported.

The ET report quoted a person aware of the matter as saying that these kits were donated to the Indian government. Of 170,000 PPE kits that arrived in India on April 5, about 50,000 failed quality tests. "Two small consignments with 30,000 and 10,000 PPE kits, too, failed tests," the person said.

The report stated that the kits were tested at the Defence Research and Development Organisation laboratory in Gwalior. The government officials have maintained that they are procuring CE/FDAcertified PPE kits only, while the consignments that have come from China are donations.

"Kits that are not FDA/ CE-approved have to pass quality tests in India," the person was quoted as saying. He, however, resfused to identify the donors.

According to the minutes of a meeting held by the textiles ministry on March 18 to assess the availability of protective wears for health professionals in the country, there is a shortage of vital equipment needed to protect healthcare staff from catching Covid-19 infections.

The minutes stated that there was dearth of body coveralls and N-95 masks.

To meet the shortfall, an order for an additional 1 million suits were placed through traders, including a Singaporean company, the ET report quoted people with knowledge of the plan as saying. However, all suits will be sourced from China only. "By the end of May first week, we should have these suits. More orders are being placed," they said.

China, meanwhile, has asked all the countries to import these items through reputed Chinese firms cleared by the government and vowed to punish those involved in counterfeit behaviour.