British Medical Protective Equipment is still in Short Supply

The British doctor who wrote to the Prime Minister is gone. Medical protective equipment is still in short supply

Recently, the epidemic of New Coronary Pneumonia in the United Kingdom is still very serious. A large number of medical staff have been confirmed to be infected with New Coronary Pneumonia, and some medical staff have died. On the 10th local time, a doctor named Abdullah Chowdhury's national medical and health system died of new coronary pneumonia and caused widespread concern in the local media.

The 52-year-old Chowdhury is a urologist working in a hospital in East London. He has worked for the British National Health Care System for more than 20 years and lives with his wife and two children. As early as March 18, he wrote an emergency email to British Prime Minister Boris Johnson through social media, calling for the provision of personal protective equipment for every medical worker in the UK.

Chowdhury's emergency email to Boris via the media

He said: "People express appreciation and respect for our work, which is very encouraging. But I want to say that in this global disaster, we must use proper protective equipment to protect ourselves and our family." But unfortunate Yes, about three weeks after the letter was issued, he himself died of new coronary pneumonia. Major local media have reported this incident and expressed condolences to their families.

A number of British media reported the death of Chowdhury

Sky News reported that Chowdhury was a kind and passionate hero. Before the outbreak broke out in the UK, he began to worry about the impact of the virus on the medical system, calling it very dangerous. His son said that his father made everyone aware of the fact that the front-line medical team lacked protective equipment, and he was very pleased at this point.

As the epidemic continues to escalate, the shortage of protective equipment facing the UK medical system remains severe. In fact, as early as a few weeks ago, Richard Houghton, editor-in-chief of the well-known magazine "The Lancet", warned British medical staff of lack of standard protective equipment.

Richard Houghton, editor-in-chief of The Lancet, British Medical Journal:

I heard that we not only lack PPE (Personal Protective Equipment), but even the wrong model, they are not the standards stipulated by the World Health Organization. Our medical staff are on the front line, there is no equipment to protect them, their masks are In line with the standards of the World Health Organization, their thin apron also does not meet the standards of the World Health Organization. Their medical gloves can only protect the wrist part and expose the arm to risk. This is a scandal in our country.

On the 10th local time, the British local media Sky News broadcast a news of a visit to the hospital. The Croydon University Hospital was originally an orthopedic surgery hospital for the elderly. It is now required to treat patients with new coronary pneumonia. The current workload It is several times higher than usual, but even so, the equipment of medical staff in the hospital is still worrying, and there is a lack of personal protective equipment (PPE) from head to toe.

More troubling is that last month, three medical staff of the British National Health System were photographed arming themselves with garbage bags.

The latest news is that they have been detected infected with the new coronavirus

 

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Even after the epidemic has been raging in the UK for nearly two months, there are still voices of emergency medical supplies everywhere on social media.

"Protective clothing is still in short supply, and the national health care system is purchased from China. The inventory is almost used up. A manager has to go crazy to the outdoor store to find help."

"The ventilator is still not enough. Personal protective equipment is still not enough. The death of medical staff has entered double digits."

"I ran to help a patient whose condition deteriorated, and he vomited on me. At the same time, I stabilized them. The patient was subsequently diagnosed with new coronavirus pneumonia, which is the reality of first-line doctors every day. We promise to protect patients, but we cannot protect Myself. "

It was even reported by local media that medical personnel were required to ban discussions about the shortage of protective equipment.

In order to meet this challenge, the British government has also tried its best. Recently, a large number of medical supplies from China including ventilators, masks, gloves, etc. have arrived in the UK.

Sun Lili is a part-time nurse in the emergency room of a hospital in Kent, England. She said that due to the lack of personal medical protection, the medical staff in the hospital can only protect themselves with very simple equipment, so the emotions are relatively negative.

Therefore, in order to contribute to her contribution, she also launched a fundraising event, and the thousands of masks collected for the first fundraising had been used up in less than half a week, because the medical staff in all departments of the hospital had to use it, and also to distribute it to some patients in need, she hurriedly conducted a second fundraising event.

Deaths of medical staff

As of 10th local time, the number of confirmed deaths in the United Kingdom reached 9,875, which was close to 10,000. The daily increase in deaths exceeded 900 consecutively, and the deaths of medical staff reached 19.

At the press conference of the Prime Minister’s Office on the 11th, British Home Secretary Priety Patel specifically apologized for the lack of protective equipment for medical staff.

When asked when all medical personnel of the international health care system can get enough When she said that there is no specific date for personal protective equipment, the current personal protective equipment is a global shortage of materials, so the pressure of shortage is inevitable, but the government is working hard to get enough personal protective equipment for every medical worker.

The epidemic situation is still grim, and it is unknown when to reach the inflection point, but for British medical staff, the challenge is still continuing.