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Politically, the case is more of a fringe aspect, but it is quite spicy: Essen University Hospital has not used around 40,000 protective gowns from the fashion firm van Laack, in whose order the state government of Prime Minister Armin Laschet is criticized , apparently due to doubts about the quality. The gowns “would rip quickly when you put them on,” the clinic said.
The 40,000 state-provided gowns arrived at the Essen University Clinic in late August, but were not released for use, the clinic announced Tuesday. “To protect our users and patients, we only use fleece protective gowns, which according to DIN EN ISO 10993-5 have been tested and certified,” the message read. The Van Laack robes, which came in 476 packages, are currently in storage. The clinic confirmed a report from the “Lauer und Wehner” podcast.
Van Laack did not initially respond to a request from the dpa news agency. “Capital” magazine quoted a spokeswoman as simply saying: “Of course, our customers only receive deliveries that meet the order requirements and criteria.” The acquisition of protective gowns will also be a topic in the plenary session of the state parliament on Wednesday. The deal with fashion maker van Laack had sparked debate, as Prime Minister Armin Laschet’s son had made contact with the company. Johannes “Joe” Laschet is a fashion blogger and advertising partner for the Mönchengladbach company.
For the Laschet government, the case could have unpleasant consequences: the Rhineland public procurement chamber will deal with the state government’s controversial order to the textile company. A spokeswoman for the Cologne district government confirmed this to SPIEGEL (click here for the report). Last week, the public procurement court “received a request for review” that is “currently under review,” the spokeswoman said. The public procurement court is a court-like body that reviews the procurement procedures of public clients.
