Saskatchewan sent ventilators to India as part of a COVID-19 relief package on May 12, 2021. (Logan Stein/980 CJME)

By CJME News

Saskatchewan ventilators on their way to help India

May 12, 2021 | 6:11 PM

Saskatchewan is reaching out to take care of India, sending ventilators to the COVID-ravaged country on Wednesday.

India is facing a bad situation, with record COVID case numbers and a health-care system overwhelmed with too many patients and not enough resources.

On Wednesday morning, a plane was loaded up in Regina with ventilators to be sent to India to help.

“Saskatchewan always takes care of their neighbours; sometimes our neighbours are around the world. And we have a great relationship with the community of India in Saskatchewan and throughout Saskatchewan and we wanted to be able to do our part,” Health Minister Paul Merriman said.

The government is sending 100 ventilators in total. Some were sent Wednesday and those that couldn’t fit on that plane are being sent to Toronto and will proceed on to India in the coming days.

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“Saskatchewan and India have a very, very important, significant, positive relationship and we felt it was appropriate that we move forward in supporting India in this very challenging time,” explained Jeremy Harrison, Saskatchewan’s trade and export minister.

Harrison said the Saskatchewan government initiated the help. It saw what was happening in India and wanted to be part of the solution.

Harrison noted the province has worked hard to build up its relationship with India, which is one of Saskatchewan’s biggest trading partners. More than $1 billion of Saskatchewan products head there every year.

Saskatchewan had more than 700 ventilators and with the donation there are still well over 600 left. Nowhere near that many are being used, according to Harrison.