Turkey minister elated with indigenous ventilators saving lives in Brazil

Turkey's technology minister on Friday expressed satisfaction over the use of the country's domestically designed medical ventilators in faraway Brazil, where coronavirus has overwhelmed health facilities and killed over 47,000 people.

"Don't you think it makes us proud to see 'Made in Turkey' sign in a hospital 11,000 kilometres away from Turkey, and see a foreign statesman sharing [the photos] of our products?" Mustafa Varank said on Twitter.

His remarks were attached to the Twitter post of Sao Paulo Governor Joao Doria, who shared photos of ventilators produced in Turkey.

Last week, the shipment of 650 Turkish domestically produced ventilators arrived in the Brazilian city of Sao Paulo. 

They were among 1,500 ordered from Turkey.

Sao Paulo doubles ICU beds

Doria also said in his post that the government of Sao Paulo has sent 2,072 ventilators to public hospitals in all regions of the state, adding that the Turkish-made devices in the photos were delivered this month and already installed in Taubate, Registro and Bauru regions in southeastern Brazil.

"With the acquisition of this equipment, we were able to double the number of ICU [intensive care unit] beds, allowing no patient with Covid-19 to be left without care in Sao Paulo," Doria said.

READ MORE: Turkey sends aid to nearly 30 countries in fight against Covid-19

Over 978,000 virus cases in Brazil 

After originating in China last December, Covid-19, the disease caused by coronavirus, has spread to nearly 200 countries and regions, with the US, Brazil and Russia currently the worst hit.

In Brazil, over 983,000 coronavirus cases were reported so far, while the death toll stands at 47,748 and recoveries exceeded the 534,500 mark.

The pandemic has killed over 457,000 people worldwide, with the total number of infections around 8.6 million, while almost 4.35 million people have recovered from the disease.