Japan prepared to provide 300 respirators to India

FILE PHOTO: A patient suffering from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) receives treatment inside the emergency ward at Holy Family hospital in New Delhi, India, April 29, 2021. REUTERS/Danish Siddiqui

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan is prepared to provide 300 respirators and 300 oxygen concentrators to India once talks are finalized, Japan's chief cabinet secretary Katsunobu Kato said on Friday.

Kato did not specify when the respirators and concentrators would be delivered, saying that he hoped they would be provided "swiftly" once discussions with India were finalised.

India is struggling to secure hospital beds and medical oxygen as it battles a surge in coronavirus cases. The death toll in India from the pandemic topped 200,000 on Wednesday.

(Reporting by Sakura Murakami; Editing by Himani Sarkar)

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