NEW DELHI: The health ministry on Sunday said shortage of personal protective equipment (PPEs) and N95 masks was easing with supplies being received and dispatched to states while orders for additional procurement were also been placed which should improve availability.“We've discussed this with all health secretaries, chief secretaries and DMs as this is one of the major issues. We've explained to them that PPEs available with us have already been dispatched to states based on case-load basis,” health ministry joint secretary Lav Agarwal said, responding to questions on reports that lack of PPEs and masks was putting health workers at risk. He added that allotments were being made based on the number of cases reported in states.“We are also making an effort to see how procurement be increased. It has started easing out, in coming weeks we should be able to manage these issues to a large extent," he said. Around 4,66,057 PPEs and 25,28,996 masks have been made available to states so far, whereas an additional 1,54,250 PPEs and 1,53,300 masks are in the process of supply and likely to reach states in the next few days.Meanwhile, health minister Harsh Vardhan reviewed preparedness at various hospitals. He said AIIMS-Jhajjar will function as a dedicated Covid-19 hospital consisting of a 300-bed isolation ward which would ensure prompt care for patients requiring advanced medical support.