“NHSstaff are making improvised masks out of snorkels, buying kit from hardware stores and using school science goggles to protect themselves in anticipation of a rise in coronavirus cases, it has emerged.
“Doctorsand nurses said they were being forced to improvise as they worried about access to appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE).
“A consultant anaesthetist working in south-east England reported buying 60 snorkels to adapt into respirator masks. “Various other places are doing the same,” the doctor told the Guardian. “One trust has ordered 500 and teamed up with companies who are (3D) printing the adapters.”…
“Many doctors have told us they have also had to buy their own respirator masks from hardware stores, while others have reached out to schools and laboratories for protective glasses. Some have approached 3D printing companies to have batches of visors made. In the wake of the tragic death of three frontline NHS doctors, it is now vital the government act to protect the frontline.” PPE used by doctors treating contagious patients includes visors, gowns, gloves and masks with varying levels of protection. The most sought-after is a FFP3 mask, with the highest safety levels, but they are in short supply globally.
“At one practice in Devon, a patient has been using a 3D printer to make masks for doctors. ‘We have not been issued with sufficient kit, so a patient has been making it,’ the practice manager said. ‘He just prints using a 3D printer. He has taken it up a scale and is now providing a number of hospitals. It is a full-face visor on a plastic headband and it goes around the head, protecting the whole front of the face.’”
In the 5th richest country in the world. A familiar story in your country too??
SOURCE: Guardian, by Sarah Marsh, 1 April 2020