NEW DELHI: India is all set to dispatch the first consignment of medical supplies to China in its bid to address the growing shortage of medical equipment in the country, the epicentre of novel coronavirus , which has infected more than 43,000 globally and claimed over 1,000 in mainland China so far.Medical supplies such as gloves, surgical masks , disposable masks (2ply and 3ply), rubber gloves, latex gloves, boot covers, medical work caps, surgical suits and protective facial screen (disposable) will be sent to China this week, people in the know told ET.“Coronavirus has fuelled medical supply shortage in China. As a friendly gesture, India will be sending these medical supplies to China,” added the person.The move follows Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s letter to Chinese President Xi Jinping , offering assistance.The external affairs ministry is working in tandem with the ministry of health and family welfare and the Department of Pharmaceuticals (DoP) to ensure that medical supplies are dispatched to China this week. “DoP had asked for the list of suppliers which can supply personal protective equipment like surgical gloves, two- and three-layer masks and boot covers in substantial quantities. The government is in the process of procure them,” said a person in the know.The DoP secretary also held a meeting earlier with medical device manufacturers to check the availability of personal protective equipment including masks and gloves in India. It also urged domestic manufacturers to aggressively ramp up production of masks and gloves.The Prime Minister’s Office and the DoP have also asked the manufacturers of medical devices to share with them the available stock and quantity that India can donate to China. They have been asked to share data for non-invasive ventilators, respiratory humidifier, infusion pumps, injection pumps and patient monitoring systems.On Monday, the health ministry held another meeting with the manufacturers to ensure timely procurement of medical supplies for sending it to China, people quoted above said.“The government wanted to know the present capacity, how much it can be increased,” said Rajiv Nath, forum coordinator at Association of Indian Medical Device Industry..