UK: NHS confederation slams govt for promising PPE kits before arrival

The National Health Service (NHS) confederation has reportedly criticised the United Kingdom government for promising personal protective equipment supplies that cannot be delivered amid the growing shortages in the country. NHS Confederation chief executive Niall Dickson has said that the government should have made an announcement of delivering PPE kits only after receiving the supplies and not in advance giving false hope to healthcare workers. 

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According to reports, the UK government had announced that it will deliver PPE kits such as gowns, gloves and masks to NHS staff, which it later failed to do so. Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden while talking to the press said that a planeload of supplies is stuck in Turkey due to some logistical issues but promised to deliver it within a day. Oliver said that he is confident of the plane taking off from Turkey later today, which was initially scheduled for take-off on April 19. 

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According to reports, over 52 medical staff members that include both doctors and nurses have lost their lives in the United Kingdom due to COVID-19 so far. Health experts say the deaths could have been avoided if proper PPE kits to carers were provided in time. According to data by worldometer, the United Kingdom has recorded more than 1,20,000 cases of coronavirus, of which over 16,000 people have lost their lives. There are currently 1,03,663 active cases while 1,559 remain under critical condition.

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Coronavirus outbreak

The coronavirus outbreak has infected over 2.41 million people globally and has killed nearly 1,65,000 patients since it first broke out in December 2019. The virus is believed to have originated from a seafood market in the Chinese city of Wuhan, the initial epicentre of the disease, where animals were reportedly being traded illegally. Other countries that are currently the worst affected are Italy, Spain, France, Iran and the United Kingdom, where the death toll has surpassed 16,000 mark each. 

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(Image Credit: AP)