Berlin, November 30 (German Health Minister Jens Spahn announced on November 30 that the federal government has decided to establish 19 national medical supplies reserve centers in China to ensure that there will be no more medical supplies shortages in the future response to health crises similar to the coronavirus epidemic.
“One of the lessons this pandemic has taught us is that we have to be prepared more ahead of time,” Span said.
According to the communiqué issued by the German Ministry of Health on the same day, the National Medical Material Reserve Center will be used to reserve protective equipment such as masks, as well as ventilators and drugs. By the end of 2021, it will mainly reserve the purchased medical supplies, and then the imported products will be replaced by German domestic products.
The communiqué also said that the federal government will allocate 1 billion euros to build a national medical reserve center. It is planned that these reserve centers can store medical supplies for up to the needs of the whole country for half a year, and when actually used, they should reserve medical supplies that can be used for at least one month for the whole country.
When the coronavirus outbreak broke out in Germany earlier this year, there was a shortage of medical supplies in Germany. According to German media reports, the federal government subsequently intensified procurement, encouraged domestic enterprises to produce related medical supplies, and began discussions on the establishment of a national medical reserve center.
