Medicine for the People distributes 60,000 mouth masks to health centres
Doctors from Medicine for the People bought a stock of 60,000 masks to distribute to the Medicine for the People health centres and other health centres in the country. "We could no longer tolerate the shortage of masks, " explains Sofie Merckx, general practitioner at Medicine for the People and PTB-PVDA federal MP.
"The shortage of masks in primary care remains catastrophic", she reminded. "It's unbearable. So we decided to take matters into our own hands and to take action. We managed to import 60,000 surgical masks through a trader. The flight landed at Schiphol this weekend and the masks are currently being distributed to the eleven medical centres of Medicine for the People throughout the country. As of tomorrow, we will supply the other federations of medical centres, as agreed with them."
"We are preparing to face the worst weeks of the coronavirus crisis", says Anne Delespaul, general practitioner and spokesperson for Medicine for the People. "The need for masks and protective equipment is enormous, both for general practitioners and homecare nurses, but also in nursing homes and care homes. Thanks to the stock we have just received, we will be able to meet the needs of our own medical centres until the end of May, while supplying other medical centres in the country. We also offer part of this stock to nursing homes and care homes."
Our doctors and nurses are on the front line and are also strengthening the corona monitoring stations", explains Sofie Merckx, physician and PTB-PVDA deputy. "But the situation is serious: the need for protective equipment remains high and the pandemic is now spreading rapidly in nursing homes and care homes. Many people also suffer from psychological problems due to the fact that they are in quarantine. But, together, we can meet the challenge. With Medicine for the People, we are ready to help wherever we can."