Ministry of Health runs out of personal protective equipment against Covid-19.
The federal stockpile, consisting of 40 million items, has already been fully distributed to states and municipalities. According to the ministry, this volume is sufficient to maintain local stocks for approximately 20 days, in addition to what local governments already possessed.
BRASILIA (Reuters) - The Brazilian Ministry of Health's stock of personal protective equipment for healthcare professionals, such as masks and gloves, has run out, even though the country is still far from reaching the peak of the coronavirus epidemic, and the federal government is trying to confirm purchases from China to replenish them.
Once the purchase is confirmed, the Brazilian government is expected to send Brazilian Air Force (FAB) planes to the Asian country to bring back the equipment.
The information was confirmed to Reuters by the Ministry of Health.
The federal stockpile, consisting of 40 million items, has already been fully distributed to states and municipalities. According to the ministry, this volume is sufficient to maintain local stocks for approximately 20 days, in addition to what local governments already possessed.
"The ministry is making a constant effort to acquire more equipment and supplies, seeking national and international suppliers. This week, it finalized a purchase of 200 million items, which should sustain the system for about 60 days," the ministry said in a statement.
Negotiations are more extensive than previously confirmed. The Brazilian government is attempting to acquire a total of 720 million pieces of personal protective equipment, but Health Minister Henrique Mandetta admitted on Wednesday that some of Brazil's purchases were thwarted by China when the United States government sent more than 20 cargo planes to the country to buy the same products.
"Many of our purchases, which we expected to finalize in order to replenish supplies, have fallen through," the minister said in an interview on Wednesday.
The expectation now, he explained, is that the countries with the most purchasing power "have already had their fill," and China will be able to reorganize its production.
In a statement, the ministry further clarified that "there is a global demand due to the pandemic, which has led to shortages and difficulties in the production and delivery of these supplies in the international arena, even after contracts have been signed."
The Brazilian government considered using regular aviation routes, hiring cargo planes or sending FAB planes to guarantee the search for purchased equipment.
According to a source, the decision is likely to be made to use the Brazilian Air Force (FAB). This is because commercial routes have been significantly reduced due to the pandemic, and the availability of cargo planes on the international market has also become more difficult.