NEW DELHI: India continues to see a shortfall in the availability of personal protection equipment (PPE) for healthcare even as the government significantly ramps up domestic production and some kits from China failed quality tests. Many kits made in China, the world’s main supplier, that were donated to the Indian government, were found unusable because they failed safety checks, a person aware of the matter told ET. 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 kits were tested at the Defence Research & Development Organisation laboratory in Gwalior. While government officials said they are procuring CE/FDAcertified PPE kits only, some consignments received as donations failed the quality tests and cannot be used. “Kits that are not FDA/ CE-approved have to pass quality tests in India,” the person said.Consignments that failed the quality tests are those received as donations from big private companies in India, the person said, without identifying the donors.To meet the shortfall, an order for an additional 1 million suits has been placed through traders, including a Singaporean company, people with knowledge of the plan said. 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. The government estimates India will be in a comfortable position if it had 2 million PPE suits. Government officials said there is no need to panic.“The number of orders being placed is growing. China is the major supplier. We were totally dependent on imports earlier and never expected that there would be a surge in demand,” a senior government official said, adding that domestic manufacturing is ramping up, too.“Domestic PPE production has increased to 30,000 kits a day, hitting the target a week earlier than scheduled, and is expected to touch 50,000 by the end of the month. Cumulatively, we have produced over 150,000 suits and should be able to manufacture an additional 100,000 by the weekend,” the people said.India has been procuring additional machines needed to manufacture the suits. “Another 30 hot air seam sealing machines will soon be sourced,” an official said, Meanwhile, PTI reported on Wednesday that China 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.