Kazakhstan to buy over 4 thousand ventilators for COVID-19 patients

NUR-SULTAN. KAZINFORM - Medical organizations in Kazakhstan are to receive over 4 thousand lung ventilators as part of the country's efforts to treat COVID-19 patients, Kazinform reports.

There are 1,958 lung ventilators at the disposal of all infectious and temporary hospitals of the country, with 4,183 more, including 3,105 locally produced ventilators, to be procured as the joint work with the regional administrations. It is said over 21 thousand beds will be equipped with oxygen supply.

According to the Kazakh Health Minister, Alexei Tsoi, 59 state and private laboratories are operating across the country to provide 32 thousand COVID-19 tests a day.

The prices for disposable three-layer medical masks have been reduced by 28% in the country. There are personal protective means for frontline workers reserved up until August as the 7.2 billion tenge of government funds has been provided. Thus, additional 41 million masks, 27 million gloves, 379 thousand protective suits, and 1.2 million PCR tests are being procured.

In Tsoi's words, such a reserve is formed for the period from this September through February 2021.