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Millions of masks and respirators were delivered at OR Tambo International Airport on Thursday night (April 23). This is the first bulk order after the formation of a centralized association of personal protective equipment, which provides both private and public hospitals, in South Africa.
The first bulk order for personal protective equipment requested was through a new centralized association that was contracted on behalf of all hospitals in the country.
This includes 2 million surgical masks and 216,000 KN95 respirators.
According to Business4SA, the organization that handles logistics on behalf of the association, there are another 784,000 KN95 respirators on the way, as well as 550,000 surgical masks that will arrive in the country on Sunday night.
KN95 masks are the Chinese equivalent of the American N95 mask.
In recent weeks, doctors, nurses and health workers have expressed concern about the shortage of PPE in South African hospitals, especially in public hospitals. This has led to several protests by the nurses and a failed court request from the Nehawu union. Dozens of healthcare personnel, especially nurses, have been infected with the virus so far.
Stavros Nicolaou, chair of the Business4South Africa Health Task Force, said it was deeply important to protect doctors, nurses and health workers as they are the “only true line” of defense against the pandemic.
“As Business4South Africa, we are deeply honored to be able to serve our country in its time of need. The leadership shown by our President and the Minister of Health has been exemplary and has prompted business to action to support our government’s efforts to combat and mitigate the impact of the pandemic, “he added.
The order that came in Thursday night is part of a centralized government-led EPP acquisition strategy that serves both the public and private healthcare sectors.
This is led by the National Department of Health (NDoH) and the Chief Procurement National Treasury Office, which work in partnership with Business4South Africa (B4SA), which is a voluntary resource alliance of all trade agencies, organizations and companies. of SA.
“In support of the Government’s central procurement strategy, B4SA has developed a national EPP supplier and demand dashboard and is driving the procurement, transportation and logistics of EPP. All stocks landed in South Africa, or collected from local suppliers and donors, are delivered to the provinces according to allocations determined by NDoH. “
The latest numbers available for the combined government, humanitarian and commercial effort to obtain PPE for health workers through the Solidarity fund, the Motsepe Foundation, The SPIRE Fund and FirstRand Naspers are: 13.5 million N95 masks; 11.25 million surgical masks for healthcare workers, 19.5 million surgical masks for patients, 900,000 sterile gloves, 20,000 face shields, 100,000 gowns, 354,000 bottles of hand sanitizer (950 ml each), and 200 ventilators. DM / MC
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