Turkish Industry and Technology Minister Mustafa Varank on Friday expressed his pride over ventilators produced in Turkey being used in faraway Brazil.
"Don't you think it makes us proud to see a 'Made in Turkey' sign in a hospital 11,000 kilometers (6,835 miles) away from Turkey and see a foreign statesman sharing (the photos) of our products?" Varank said on Twitter.
His remarks were in response to the Twitter post of Sao Paulo Gov. Joao Doria, who shared photos of ventilators produced in Turkey.
Doria also said in his post that the government of Sao Paulo had sent 2,072 ventilators to public hospitals in all regions of the state, adding that the Turkish-made devices in the photos had been delivered this month and were already installed in the Taubate, Registro and Bauru regions of southeastern Brazil.
"With the acquisition of this equipment, we have been 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.
Last week, a shipment of 650 Turkish-produced ventilators arrived in Sao Paulo. These were among 1,500 ordered from Turkey.
Since originating in China last December, COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, has spread to 188 countries and territories, with the U.S., Brazil and Russia currently the worst hit.
In Brazil, over 978,000 coronavirus cases have been reported so far, while the death toll stands at 47,748 and recoveries have surpassed the 534,500 mark, according to figures compiled by the U.S.-based Johns Hopkins University.
Turkey has provided humanitarian aid to nearly 130 countries over the course of the pandemic, including the U.S., the U.K., Italy and Spain, making it the world's third-largest provider of aid during the global crisis. Some two-thirds of the world have requested medical supplies from Turkey to fight the coronavirus, and nearly half of these requests have been met.
