UK government faces mounting criticism over protection clothing shortages
19 April, 2020
Doctors and health personnel criticised the British government on Saturday (Apr 18) for suggesting that personal protective equipment (PPE) worn while treating coronavirus patients could possibly be re-used, as supplies run low in the united states.
Britain is at or close to the peak of a health crisis in which a lot more than 15,000 persons have died - the fifth highest national death toll of a pandemic linked to at least 150,000 deaths worldwide.
Data published on Saturday showed 15,464 persons have died in British hospitals after testing positive for coronavirus - a rise of 888 in the a day to 1600 GMT on Friday. That increase is higher than recent days, but below the best daily death toll of 980, seen just over yesterday.
The government issued new guidance to hospitals on Friday aiming that alternatives to fluid-repellent full length gowns might need to be used, including reusable gowns and even long sleeved laboratory coats.
"This guidance is a further admission of the dire situation that some doctors and healthcare personnel continue to find themselves in due to government failings," said Rob Harwood, chairman of the consultants committee at the British Medical Association.
"If it’s being proposed that staff reuse equipment, this should be demonstrably driven by science and the very best evidence - instead of availability."
A Department of Health spokesman said the guidance was to make certain that staff knew how to proceed to minimise risk if shortages did occur. They said the new rules remained consistent with international standards.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock told a committee of lawmakers on Friday that Britain was "tight on gowns" but had 55,000 more arriving and was aiming to get the proper equipment where it had been needed by the finish of this weekend.
The trade union Unite said it had told its members they could lawfully won't work to avoid threat of injury, describing the problem over PPE as a "national scandal".
The Royal College of Nursing said it wrote "in the strongest terms" to express its concerns over the rules change, and said that they had not been consulted about them.
NHS Providers, a body which represents hospitals and other areas of Britain's publicly funded National Health Service, said supply degrees of gowns were critical.
"It really is now clear that some trusts will go out of fully fluid repellent gowns this weekend," deputy leader Saffron Cordery said.
Britain's response to the coronavirus outbreak - which includes lagged that of European peers - is a source of increasing political criticism for Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who is recovering from a spell in intensive care after becoming infected.
The crisis has seen citizens ordered to remain in the home and businesses forced to shut during four weeks of restrictions on lifestyle without precedent in British peacetime history. The lockdown was extended on Thursday for at least three more weeks.
Queen Elizabeth effectively cancelled plans to publicly celebrate her 94th birthday on Tuesday, silencing a normal ceremonial gun salute because she thought it could not be fitting in today's circumstances.
Source: www.channelnewsasia.com