India, at the start of the pandemic, was going through the shortage for all kinds o f m e d i c a l equipment, including masks, PPE kits, ventilators, etc. Most of the products were not being manufactured in the country at the beginning of the Covid-19 outbreak. The rising demand of medical equipment and products leads to scarcity all over the world. But turning the pandemic into an opportunity to develop its domestic market for production medical equipment, with the combined efforts of Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Ministry of textiles, Ministry of Pharmaceuticals, Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), DRDO, and others, India has hugely ramped up its own manufacturing capacity.
After increasing demands of PPEs, India exported 23 lakh PPEs to five countries — US, UK, UAE, Senegal and Slovenia. This has substantially positioned India on the list of global exporters of PPEs.