NEW DELHI: Kuwaiti Ambassador to India Jassem Al-Najem announced on Saturday that oxygen supply and emergency medical aid from Kuwait continues to arrive to Indian ports to fill shortage in hospitals to thousands of COVID-19 patients. Ambassador Najem said that an aid ship from Kuwait arrived in Mumbai Port in the western Indian state of Maharashtra; considered the most affected by COVID-19.

The ship carries 75 metric tons of liquid oxygen and 1,000 oxygen cylinders, the ambassador noted. This aid is coming as part of the sea bridge that Kuwait established to support India in fighting the mutated coronavirus, Najem said, adding more ships are slated to arrive in Indian ports in the coming days.

In the coming two weeks, the oxygen supply from Kuwait is poised to reach 1,400 metric tons making it one of the top countries in the world to supply huge quantities of oxygen to India. He also underlined Kuwait's keenness to alleviate the suffering of the friendly Indian people due to this health disaster.

Three Indian military ships had arrived at Mangalore Port, southern Karnataka state as they sailed from Kuwait's Shuwaikh Port carrying 140 metric tons of liquid medical oxygen and 1,600 oxygen cylinders. A Kuwait military plane loaded with 40 tons of oxygen concentrators, ventilators, oxygen cylinders, medicines and other relief materials had arrived in Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi.

Earlier last week, Indian External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar, during a phone call with Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs Sheikh Dr Ahmad Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Sabah, expressed his country's gratitude and appreciation to the leadership and people of Kuwait for extending support to tackle the second wave of COVID-19 pandemic. The Kuwaiti Cabinet recently decided to send oxygen and emergency relief materials to India to help it face the impact of the spread of mutated strain of the coronavirus. - KUNA