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One of the big questions at the start of the corona pandemic was about protective gear. In mid-March, more than half of the DN regions stated that the lack of protective gear and material was their biggest challenge at the time.
With its own warehousing replaced by “just-in-time” deliveries in many parts of the country, the vulnerability turned out to be great as the entire world suddenly competed to buy goggles, respirators and mouth guards.
But now the situation is different. A report from the National Board of Health and Welfare states that the national need for personal protective equipment is guaranteed, despite the fact that there are great differences between the storage of different municipalities and regions.
– The situation looks good based on the scenarios that the Public Health Agency has painted that span a year earlier, says Erik Magnusson, who is a purchasing manager at the National Board of Health and Welfare.
The regions and municipalities it had a total additional expenditure of just over 2.7 billion SEK on personal protective equipment between February and August. According to grant applications to the National Board of Health and Welfare, which has been tasked with distributing government grants to cover the additional costs.
It is not clear what the national emergency situation of protective equipment and medicines will look like when the pandemic ends one day.
– The long-term question is missing when we return to a normal situation. How do regions and municipalities store what they are responsible for? This is another issue that is out of our reach as part of these purchases, says Erik Magnusson.
Two years ago he was appointed the latest research on the subject. In April, the researchers presented the first report. According to the Minister of Social Affairs Lena Hallengren (S), there are several problems to solve.
– It must be built very sophisticated. Where in the country should it be? How close should these layers be? And what should they contain?
The investigation must be completed by April 1, 2021.
– Then it takes time to build. These are large volumes that will be used at the same time as warehouses are being built. It is important that it is done correctly. We can’t just put in something that is later discarded, it must be a rotating stock. It’s as described, says Lena Hallengren.
Read more:
So Sweden was left behind in the global search for drugs
Protective materials and antibiotics are not enough for everyone; secretly, how great is the shortage
