Jakarta. The Indonesian government has received 200 ventilators donated by the US and Australian governments to increase the country’s capacity in treating Covid-19 patients, Foreign Affairs Minister Retno Marsudi said on Thursday.

The first shipment of 100 ventilators from the US government arrived on Wednesday, in addition to another 100 ventilators from Australia arriving a day earlier.

“This shipment was the first batch of the US commitment to donate a total of 1,000 ventilators in stages,” Retno said in a virtual news conference in Jakarta. 

The US assistance followed talks between President Joko Widodo and his American counterpart Donald Trump in April. 

“Just spoke to my friend, President Joko Widodo of the Republic of Indonesia. Asking for Ventilators, which we will provide. Great cooperation between us!” Trump tweeted on April 24.

Indonesia is one of many US allies to receive American made ventilators from the US Agency for International Development (USAID).

The agency has described the donated ventilators as compact and deployable, support both invasive and non-invasive applications and reflect state-of-the-art and in-demand technology.