Coronavirus: UK wary of international market for ventilators
A frenetic international market in ventilators and medical supplies has gathered pace in recent weeks as governments scramble to purchase equipment.The equipment is usually made in China and is then purchased by middlemen who offer it on.The market price for one particular type of ventilator increased in a week from $27,000 to $96,000 - a sign of just how intense the demand is.
A British-based contact of the supplier got in touch with Cabinet Office ministers and other officials through multiple channels, including MPs and other ministers, but the offer has not been taken up in London, leading to frustration that potentially life-saving kit which the NHS is in urgent need of, is being passed over. The contact said he was not seeking to profit from making the connection.
Sources deny that red tape is holding up international procurement and say they are trying to procure directly from suppliers rather than through middlemen.
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