Ventilators: Imports

(asked on 20th April 2020) - View Source

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with Ministers of the Department of International Trade to help secure imports of medical ventilators during the covid-19 outbreak; and if he will make a statement.


Answered by
Edward Argar Portrait
Edward Argar
Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
This question was answered on 11th May 2020

We have been working rapidly to secure additional ventilator capacity through established United Kingdom suppliers and from overseas. The Joint Action Coordination Team was established, which works across the Department for International Trade and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to provide support and assistance for all international procurement work.

The Government is doing everything it can to ensure the National Health Service and care workers have the equipment and support they need to tackle this outbreak. Our overseas diplomatic network is engaged in a massive international procurement effort underway to buy the additional medical equipment the NHS needs. Almost 900 ventilators from overseas have arrived since March. They have been bought or donated from China, US, Germany, and Taiwan. Thousands more are due to arrive over the coming weeks.

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