Stockholm Region: Imported protective equipment substandard

Now Region Stockholm confirms that imported protective equipment is not of the right quality, but clarifies which parties are involved.

“Some parties have come in that have been substandard. Partly it is about products that have not been delivered according to the agreed specification, and partly it is about products that do not hold the right quality, for example with regard to the material, ”writes Annika Folcker at the press department at Region Stockholm to SVT News.

According to data in SVT Stockholm last week, Scania and Karolinska Hospital have set up a shopping center where they together search the market for protective equipment.

Last Wednesday, a plane from China landed with 55,000 mouthguards, 5,000 visors and 2,000 goggles.

At Karolinska Hospital in Solna, Scania staff have reinforced a command center that now functions as a shopping center.

And late Monday night, another aircraft from China landed loaded with 150,000 face protection, 40,000 visors, 575,000 aprons and 537,000 mouthguards.

The protective equipment will be tested and distributed among the hospitals in the Stockholm region, Aftonbladet stated on Tuesday.

The Stockholm region does not comment on these parties specifically, even though SVT Nyheter has asked questions about equipment delivered from China.

"The way we handle the situation is to strengthen the quality control of all replacement products and new suppliers, and that we make sure to buy from many different suppliers," writes Annika Folcker at the press department, Region Stockholm to SVT News.

On Tuesday, the Swedish Work Environment Authority was given the government's task to quality assure and approve protective equipment for health and medical personnel and the elderly. In an email to SVT, Head of Unit Anna Johansson.-Norlén explains that the applications have started to come in and that the authority has started a feverish work.

- We are working on handling the applications as soon as possible, but the most important thing is that the healthcare staff receive a full level of protection that they can rely on.