Iran says it is ready to export medical gowns to other countries as its production of the protective equipment has surged to 100,000 per day.
Iran has been able to increase the production of medical gowns from 2,000 to 100,000 per day over the three months of the new coronavirus outbreak in the country, Mohammad Reza Shanehsaz the head of Iran’s Food and Drug Administration (IFDA) said.
We used to import gowns but in less than 50 days we have been able to meet the country’s need and now we are ready to export, he said.
According to a recent data released by the IFDA, Iran’s daily capacity for production of surgical masks has also increased from 600,000 to 2.5 million. The daily production of N-95 masks in the country has also increased more than 10-fold to 150,000 per day.
Iran’s caretaker minister of industries Hossein Modarres Khiabani said last week that the country has lifted restrictions on exports of tests kits and personal protective equipment (PPE) needed to confront the new coronavirus pandemic amid a surge in production that outweighs domestic demands.
Iranian biomedicine companies have already started exporting coronavirus test kits with the first consignments sent to Germany and Turkey.
Iran, the worst-hit country in the Middle East region by the COVID-19, has largely relied on home-grown efforts to fight the disease as sanctions imposed by the United States have largely curbed the government’s ability to import drugs and medical equipment needed to contain the virus.