Health Service Executive Chief Executive Paul Reid has said that the supply of personal protective equipment (PPE) continues to remain challenging during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Speaking at the weekly HSE briefing, Mr Reid said efforts were being made to accelerate further deliveries but stronger controls in China could threaten timing.
And he urged healthcare workers to be prudent in their use of PPE. Mr Reid said 33 million items of PPE from a batch one order from China, worth €31 million, had been fully distributed.
He said any product issues relating to that batch have now been fully addressed, and batch two had commenced yesterday. To accelerate supply of PPE, he said the HSE has asked Chinese suppliers to consolidate more deliveries