They got no response, according to Sanjeev Relhan and Rajiv Nath, the heads of two health-sector manufacturing associations.
They and other manufacturers now say such poor communication led to the squandering of precious time in the race to protect health workers fighting the coronavirus.
The health ministry did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
India has reported 724 cases of the coronavirus including 17 deaths and Prime Minister Narendra Modi has locked down the entire country for three weeks in the world's most ambitious bid to control the epidemic.
Rehlan said they met textile ministry officials on March 16, only to learn equipment specifications had already been set.
Then Nath said he was informed by a health ministry official that a tender for the equipment had been issued 16 days earlier, but many manufacturers had not been aware of it.
This story is from the March - April 2020 edition of Cochin Herald.
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This story is from the March - April 2020 edition of Cochin Herald.
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