Coronavirus protective equipment to be procured locally: Chairman NDMA
By the end of April, Pakistan will start manufacturing up to 100,000 N-95 masks
ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – Chairman National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) Lieutenant General Muhammad Afzal has said that the protective equipment against coronavirus will be procured from the local market.
The Chairman said that the motivation behind this decision is to stimulate the local economy by protecting local industries and businesses.
The Chairman NDMA said that almost all major protective equipment is ready to be produced in Pakistan except for N-95 face masks. He said that local companies will be given priority while purchasing the equipment as long as the quality and quantity requirements are met.
Moreover, he said that NDMA will extend its full cooperation and guidance to any company that aims to manufacture N-95 masks on a national level and by the end of April, Pakistan will start manufacturing up to 100,000 N-95 masks.
Lt. Gen Afzal said that these steps will revitalize and stabilize the local market, all the while strengthening the country’s economy. International dependency will be minimized and only the equipment that local market is incapable of supplying, due to quality or quantity constraints, will be externally sourced, he added.
