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Many British doctors wrote to health officials, warning that 250 breathing apparatus purchased from China could be fatal if used in hospitals.
“We believe that if used, these ventilators can cause significant harm to patients, including death,” according to a letter dated April 13 by a senior anesthesiologist. Positively, it represents a team of senior doctors and managers working in and around Birmingham, Britain’s second largest city and one of the areas hardest hit by Covid-19.
Since March, the British government and many countries have been quick to buy more medical equipment, mainly from China, to make up for a shortage of supplies. On April 4, UK ministers happily announced that they had purchased 300 fans from China.
“I want to thank the Chinese government for helping us buy these fans,” Michael Gove, a senior government official at Prime Minister Boris Johnson, said at a press conference that day.
However, just nine days later, doctors in Birmingham wrote a letter warning about 250 Shangrila 510 ventilators made in Beijing Aeonmed, one of China’s leading ventilator manufacturers.
Doctors say the oxygen supply of Chinese ventilators “is constantly changing and unreliable,” while its build quality is only “basic.” The filters in these machines cannot be properly cleaned, which is essential against highly infectious viruses, while the oxygen supply hose does not meet EU standards.
In addition to serious concerns about the quality of the fans, doctors say one more reason why they are not safe is that these Chinese-made devices are foreign to British doctors and unsuitable for use. used in the current Covid-19 crisis. Specifically, this type of ventilator is designed for use in an ambulance, not a hospital.
“We hope these ventilators will be recalled and replaced with devices that have better airway clearance for patients receiving intensive care,” the team wrote in a letter to the doctor. Te Anh.
Medical staff transfer patient Covid-19 to Royal London Hospital in East London, England on April 21. Photos: AFP.
The British government has been widely criticized for its response to Covid-19, an epidemic that has killed more than 26,000 people in the country. Critics say the government does not provide enough protective equipment for frontline health workers and does not have comprehensive evidence.
The doctor who wrote the letter did not say what steps were taken to address the ventilator problems. It is unclear which parts of the UK health system received the letter, but the Department of Health and Social Care, the oversight agency for the National Health Service and the purchase of fans abroad, they said in an email they know. “Concerns that doctors have and have mentioned to the manufacturer”.
The ministry declined to answer a series of detailed questions about the letter, including how many fans of this type were purchased, why the sample was chosen, and whether first-line doctors were consulted first. The ministry said none of these were being used in hospitals.
Beijing international sales manager Aeonmed said “not know” when asked if the company would be aware of British doctors’ concerns about its products. The company did not respond to detailed questions about the Shangrila 510 fan model, or to which countries it was exported.
In late March, the Netherlands was forced to recall 600,000 masks purchased from China after the country’s Ministry of Health discovered they were not up to scratch. Earlier this month, the head of the Finnish board of emergency medical supplies resigned after a multi-million dollar Chinese mask was found without reservation.
Not only the mask, the Spanish government has to withdraw and return 50,000 nCoV test kits originating in China because they are only 30% accurate. It ordered 3.5 million test games in Chinese, but none of them was good enough for widespread use. The UK government said it was asking the supplier for a refund.
With countries concerned about the quality of exported medical devices, the Chinese government has pledged to “crack down on counterfeit and low-quality products” and will severely punish companies that export equipment. Zhao Lap Kien, a spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, said at a press conference on April 15.
China’s Ministry of Commerce earlier this month also revoked the export licenses of the two companies, warning that the export of low-quality medical equipment “seriously affects the country’s image.” Canh Sang, a spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, also said that some complaints from the countries could be due to “differences in production standards” or that European doctors are not familiar with how to use the product. even make mistakes. “
Covid-19 originated in Wuhan, China in December 2019, appeared in 210 countries and territories, and the focus of the current epidemic is the United States and Europe. Worldwide, about 3.2 million cases of nCoV infection, nearly 228,000 people died, and more than 981,000 recovered.
Run away (The O NBC News)
