Wednesday, August 5, 2020
THE shortage of Personal Protection Equipment has been a problem for countries all over the world since the COVID-19 crisis first exploded.
Suddenly under-funded health services were overwhelmed with requests for face masks, gloves, boots, hand sanitiser – and in numbers they could never imagine they would need.
Companies which supplied PPE - not just to health services but to businesses and the public - turned to their usual suppliers to meet the tsunami of requests for equipment descending on them.
In-house stocks were quickly run down. Governments, like here in The Bahamas, were quickly aware of the potential for crisis and urged local businesses to adapt and see if they could help meet PPE demand.
The situation was suddenly made dramatically worse when the US - one of the biggest manufacturers of PPE equipment in the world - put a block on all PPE exports to ensure its own health requirements were met first. Some exceptions were made with orders held up at US ports by the export embargo given the go-ahead after individual requests were made.
Here in Nassau, Bahamas Medical and Surgical Suppliers realized early in the COVID crisis it would have to find alternative sources if it were to meet the demands that the whole country was going to face.
China was the only viable option but a complicated - and lengthy - sourcing operation would have to take place ensuring quality controls were met and that permission to fulfil any export orders were approved by the authorities in Beijing.
On Saturday the company’s extraordinary efforts paid off when a Boeing 747-400 fully loaded with 130,000 pounds of PPE equipment touched down at Lynden Pindling Airport and over the next few days passed through Bahamian customs.
This mountain of PPE equipment now sits in BMSS’ warehouse ready to meet as many requests as are made of it.
A similar tale can be told by John Watling’s Distillery.
Just a few months ago then-Health Minister Dr Duane Sands was on hand when the company retooled part of its operation to produce badly needed hand-sanitiser drawing on large stocks of alcohol it had originally earmarked for producing liquor.
Originally sales were ahead of expectations as the desperate local market suddenly found a local supplier to replenish this vital tool in the fight with COVID.
“We have more than enough in stock to last for the foreseeable future,” said a spokesman for the company.
“For some reason in July sales dropped off. We have a warehouse full ready to ship out. I am not sure what the problem is and why people have been running short.”
Comments
tribanon says...
Doesn't it sound a bit odd that the US governmenmt has made it difficult for our country to procure the PPE needed by our healthcare providers while at the same time supposedly not allowing our government to close our borders to travellers from the US where the Communist China Virus is widespread? What am I missing here?
Is the US Department of State and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo foolishly adopting foreign policies that push small nations like ours under the wing of Communist China? Is the US Embassy in Nassau keeping the right people in the US Department of State properly informed of these developments that will most assuredly harm US foreign policy interests and US global standing in the long term? All is certainly not well in DC. Meanwhile the Communist Chinese Party seems to be making much hay while the sun shines on their own foreign policy initiatives aimed at global domination.
Posted 5 August 2020, 4:35 p.m. Suggest removal
ISpeakFacts says...
It took **THIS LONG** for this country to secure some PPE kits??? And of all the places to get it from, you choose **CHINA!!!**
Posted 5 August 2020, 4:39 p.m. Suggest removal
SP says...
If you could pull your head out of your ass so you'd be able to read first-hand realities of what's happening, and also learn that the great and powerful USA is having the same delays securing PPE's also from **CHINA.**
https://www.wflx.com/2020/07/14/calls-g…
Try to equate that the Bahamas did not have any PPE shortage prior to Dr. Minnis's border opening screw up!
Posted 5 August 2020, 5:08 p.m. Suggest removal
ISpeakFacts says...
Typical Minnis lover, all lip and no brains!
We've had PPE shortages forever, many and myself included have been pushing for PPE since the virus first originated, now we're in August and our health care workers are walking off the job! I can also tell you haven't been keeping up with the news regarding China and the amount of faulty test kits and cheap PPE that they've given out, but I'm not surprised because you're a typical Minnis lover so your brain probably has a hard time keeping up, only the dumbest of fools would dare accept anything from China!
Posted 5 August 2020, 8:28 p.m. Suggest removal
tribanon says...
Suggest you tone it down quite a few notches because even I'm beginning to ignore your posts. But who am I?
Posted 5 August 2020, 8:41 p.m. Suggest removal
stillwaters says...
Thank God.......just as the nurses were on their last string of patience.....now, finally, our hard working doctors and nurses can work in safety.
Posted 5 August 2020, 4:57 p.m. Suggest removal
joeblow says...
... we do not have a means to test the quality of these products and should not automatically assume they are safe!
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/05/…
https://news.yahoo.com/faulty-masks-fla…
https://www.fda.gov/inspections-complia…
Posted 5 August 2020, 6:54 p.m. Suggest removal
ISpeakFacts says...
Well said, it seems the majority of people in this country along with Minnis and Sands will lick the boots of China without giving it a second thought!
Posted 5 August 2020, 8:30 p.m. Suggest removal
tribanon says...
LOL
Posted 5 August 2020, 8:42 p.m. Suggest removal
DWW says...
but i thought importing face masks was illegal? one rule for us another one for you. I was stunned when minnis implied that a plethora of sewing sweatshops was going to spring up overnight when he banned importation. please can we not have a medical doctor making serious economic decisions anymore please
Posted 6 August 2020, 1:23 p.m. Suggest removal
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